Bleach: Ichigo to Nozomi Gaiden
by Ryuumaru Kara
Summary: Nozomi survives the battle with Kagerouza and returns to the Human World with Ichigo and the others. Ichigo loses his powers and lives on as a normal high school student. Having nowhere else to go, Nozomi moves in with the Kurosakis, where she is warmly welcomed by Ichigo's family. A few promises later, their story takes a different turn, one they never expected.
1. Prologue

I don't own Bleach or any related stuff. Well except for figurines maybe.

* * *

Prologue

* * *

"This is how it should be."

Kujou Nozomi said with a calm tone, despite the fact that she was fading away like Inaba Kagerouza, whom was defeated by Kurosaki Ichigo just a few moments ago.

"Wh-what are you…!? No! I won't accept this! I said I'll protect you! I won't fail now!" Exclaimed an angered Kon.

"It may have been short but… I can hear it…within my chest… I'm… not alone. " Nozomi said with a smile.

"W-well… maybe i-if… you would let me come closer… then maybe I'd be able to hear it too." Kon said, who was now starting to tear up, despite having a plushie as a body.

"Y-you really are a pervert…"

Nozomi then suddenly pulled Kon into a tight hug, and tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"Well, you can't blame me for being a pervert…"

"Thank you Kon, we'll always be…"

"…Friends" Kon finished Nozomi's sentence.

Now almost completely faded away, Nozomi stood up and faced a certain orange-haired boy. They stood there for a few seconds staring at each other's eyes, until Ichigo decided to break the silence.

" …guess this is goodbye huh…"

"Yeah… Thank you Ichigo… for everything…" Nozomi was now struggling to hold back the majority of her tears, although her efforts were in vain.

"For what exa-"

That was all Ichigo managed to say before Nozomi pulled him into a tight hug and sobbed in his chest

"Thank you Ichigo! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!' Nozomi shouted in Ichigo's chest

But suddenly, the unbelievable happened, Nozomi's body suddenly regained its solid color until she was completely normal again, but she failed to notice that.

"Nozomi! Wai-!" Ichigo attempted to speak, but Nozomi just tightened her hug.

"Ichigo… shut up… I want to disappear silently…"

"But Nozomi…!" Ichigo once again attempted to speak up, but he was interrupted once again, only this time, it was by courtesy of Kon.

"NOZOMI! YOU STOPPED FADING AWAY!"

Everyone was in silence, either shocked speechless or was quietly giggling. It took a few seconds for Kon's words to sink into Nozomi.

"!, Get away from me pervert!" Nozomi shouted while pushing Ichigo away. Everyone burst in laughter by now, even the normally stoic Byakuya had a smile on his face.

"I heard that!" Rukia said in her brother's face, which became emotionless again on a whim.

"What the… It was YOU who hugged me!" Ichigo yelled at Nozomi, who was now turned away and blushing furiously.

"That's because I thought I was going to fade away! And you didn't even tell me! You just clung to me like a perverted plushie!"

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched upon hearing those words

"WHAT!? I tried to tell you like, twice!"

"…Pervert."

Ichigo facepalmed while everybody kept on laughing at the cute scene before them.

"Anyway Nozomi!" Kon interjected "Will you go back to the Human World with us?"

A smile slowly formed on Nozomi's face "…of course"

"But how did this happen?" Asked Rukia

"I can give you an explanation for that" Answered the Captain of the 12th Division, Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

"Basically, while Kurosaki and Kujou were making out-"

"WE WEREN'T!" The blushing Nozomi and Ichigo said in unison.

"-Kurosaki's unstable Reiatsu flowed into Kujou's body, causing a sudden change in her own Reiatsu, managing to stabilize itself because of the special properties of unstable Reiatsu! This is excellent research material!"

"That's good news, Kujou-san!" Said Inoue, while running towards Nozomi and gave her a hug after reaching her.

"C-can't breathe…"

"Oops! Sorry!"

"Let's go back now… everyone." Ishida said.

"Right!" Everyone answered in unison.

"How's your Reiatsu, Ichigo?" Sado asked Ichigo. He turned around to face him and thought for a while before answering.

"Almost completely gone, I guess… If I'm lucky, maybe it'll stay until tomorrow."

"I see…" Everyone was slightly saddened by this. Especially a certain Captain.

"Well then, bye everyone." Ichigo bid to the Shinigami around him.

"I'll visit you later, Ichigo." Rukia told him

"Sure."

"Are you crying Ken-chan?" Yachiru asked a depressed Kenpachi, who almost jumped from surprise because of the sudden question.

"Wha… No, I'm not. Just sad that Ichigo and I won't be able to have our final fight to the death anymore…"

"Why not fight him now?"

"Great Idea Yachiru! ICHIGO! DRAW YOUR BLADE!" Kenpachi drew his own blade, only to find out that Ichigo and the others have already left.

"Huh…"

***Human World***

"So, Nozomi, where will you go now?" Kon asked while patting her on the legs, earning a kick to the face.

"I thought we were friends!" Kon asked while comically crying.

"Shut up, Pervert." Nozomi, who was now dressed with her usual attire, stomped on the mod soul's head.

"You can stay at my place Nozomi, I'm sure dad and my sisters will be happy to let you."

"…pervert."

"You're confusing me with Kon! I didn't mean the same room!"

"Whatever, just make sure that perverted plushie is tied up."

"It's settled then."

"We'll be going now, take care Kujou-san! Kurosaki-kun!" Said Inoue.

"Wait! What about me?"

"Take care Kon!"

Kon was smiling while Inoue patted him on the head.

"…perv." Nozomi said with disgust.

"Later, Ichigo." Sado said and then left. Ishida and Inoue did the same.

The three walked for a few minutes to reach the Kurosaki household. Ichigo quietly opened the door, and led Nozomi and Kon inside.

"Stay here for a while, I'll go get my body."

Ichigo went upstairs with Kon and returned shortly, now inside his human body, Kon was now nowhere to be seen.

"Karin! Yuzu! Dad! I'm home!"

"Oh! Ichi-nii! You're back! And Nozomi-chan too!" Said an enthusiastic Yuzu while running towards them.

"Yo." Said the less energetic Karin.

"…hi." Nozomi said with a slight blush on her face.

"Where's Dad?" Ichigo asked her.

"Hm? Don't know. Probably still at work."

"I see. Tell him when he gets back that Nozomi'll be staying here for a while for kay?" Ichigo said to his sisters.

"EH!? Ichi-nii… Don't tell me…" A shocked Yuzu said.

"You're dating now?" Karin finished her sister's sentence.

"NO!" Ichigo and Nozomi once again blushed and shouted in unison.

"Ugh… come on Nozomi, I'll show you your room."

"Okay…"

Ichigo led Nozomi to a spare room.

"It's not much… but It'll do for now." Ichigo said to Nozomi, who didn't answer and simply went inside.

"Yo, Nozomi!" Kon suddenly appeared behind her, and then got kicked out the window. Ichigo sweatdropped as his roommate fled to the other street.

"So yeah, make yourself comfortable. Later" Ichigo said, and then returned to his room. He lied down on his bed, and instantly fell asleep. The battle with the Reigai was much more tiring because of his unstable Reiatsu, and pushing himself in his fight with Kagerouza wasn't much help either.

Back in Nozomi's room, the girl was pondering about her survival earlier. Albeit also exhausted and lied down on the bed, she was unable to fall asleep.

"…I'm still alive… because I hugged Ichigo…" Because of such an unusual act, she was still among the living. Pondering about the events that followed, a slight blush formed on her cheeks.

"…that idiot." Nozomi said with a slight smile before closing her eyes.

* * *

R&R if you like. This is my very first story so I'm not expecting much.

Ja.


	2. Chapter 1

I don't own Bleach.

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Chapter 1: Promise

* * *

The sunlight peeked through the slightly closed curtains and gently touched the face of a green-haired girl. She was peacefully sleeping in a spare room in the Kurosaki household. It was already past 12:00nn, so she was obviously sleeping in. Well of course, anyone who had to fight against a mad scientist and his army of Reigai would want to sleep for a week. This girl's name is Kujou Nozomi.

"Yo, Nozomi! How long are you going to keep sleeping?" Kon said in her face, instantly waking up the sleeping beauty.

"Wha… What are you doing in my room, Pervert!?" She kicked him in the face, sending him flying to the wall and subsequently fall to the ground.

"Ow…! I was only checking up on you!" Kon complained but was completely ignored by Nozomi.

Nozomi went downstairs after changing into her usual attire, and was instantly greeted by Yuzu.

"Good… umm… Afternoon…? Nozomi-san!"

"…where's Ichigo?" Nozomi instantly asked after looking around for a bit.

"Oh? Ichi-Nii said he'd go out for a while to take care of something. Do you know what it might be, Nozomi-san?" Yuzu asked her.

" _Today's the day Ichigo said he'd lose his Reiatsu…"_ Nozomi suddenly remembered what Ichigo said yesterday. " I'll go look for him."

Nozomi instantly exited the house before Yuzu was able to give an answer.

"Nozomi-saaan! What about… breakfast… Geez, you're just like Ichi-Nii."

…

"… So, this is… goodbye, then…" Kuchiki Rukia said with a sad tone.

"Don't worry, Rukia! It's not like you'll never see me again!"

"Idiot… but I guess that's true." Rukia said with a slight smile.

"Now isn't that better?"

"Ichigo!"

"Hm?" Ichigo turned around to see Nozomi running towards them and crouched down, obviously exhausted after running so much.

"Nozomi? You're up… early."

"What's going on?" Nozomi asked Rukia.

"I just came to say goodbye to Ichigo. This might be the last time he'll be able to see spirits."

"Oh right…"

"Take care of Ichigo, alright?"

"…sure." Nozomi glanced at Ichigo for a while, and then suddenly turned away, leaving him confused.

A slight giggle escaped from Rukia. "You'll do just fine."

"Yeah, without my Reiatsu, I guess its Nozomi's turn to protect me."

Nozomi blushed a little upon hearing that and stomped on Ichigo's foot.

"OW! Why'd you do that!?" Ichigo yelled at Nozomi, who was still turned away and blushing.

"Hehe… you idiot" Rukia snickered.

"What was that!?" Ichigo's eyebrow twitched.

"Farewell, Ichigo, Nozomi." Rukia waved at them.

"…yeah." Ichigo answered.

Rukia got ready to enter the World Penetration Gate, and took one last glance at the pair before finally returning to Soul Society.

"So Nozomi… want to eat? I haven't eaten breakfast yet."

"…me too."

"What do you say?"

Nozomi blushed and turned away again for a few seconds, before turning back to face Ichigo.

"Sure." Nozomi said with a smile.

***Soul Society***

"So, how did it go?" Abarai Renji asked with a serious tone.

"Ichigo no longer has his Reiatsu, he couldn't even see me clearly anymore." Rukia answered, her voice with a slight tone of disappointment.

"That's a let-down. It's gonna be a little quieter here without him. But will he really be alright without his Reiatsu? What if a Hollow attacks?"

"He'll be alright" Rukia said, her voice slightly happier. "Besides, He's got Nozomi with him. Not to mention Inoue and the others."

"Well if you say so. Come on, we've got work to do."

***Human World***

Ichigo and Nozomi wandered around Karakura town after eating pancakes for breakfast. It was mostly a quiet walk, not a single word was uttered. Except for the occasional "What's that?" from Nozomi.

"Hey, Nozomi… I've been thinking…" Ichigo said, breaking the aura of silence that have been enveloping them ever since they ate breakfast.

"What is it?"

"You should get more clothes, you can't live in the Human World with just one type of clothing you know." Ichigo suddenly blurted out.

 _"Crap. What did I just say?"_ Ichigo thought.

"You pervert." Nozomi instantly replied.

A nerve snapped in Ichigo, but before he could reply, Nozomi's expression changed from disgust to a shy smile.

"Fine… but you're paying. I have no money."

Ichigo was dumbstruck by the sudden change in Nozomi's behavior, but he felt relieved that she opened up more.

"Alright."

It took around 5 minutes for them to get to the local women's clothing shop. Nozomi at first was embarrassed, and so was Ichigo. Both of them have never been to a women's clothes store before, let alone actually shop.

"Well? Aren't you going to check out some clothes?" Ichigo tried to cancel out the awkwardness around them.

"I don't know how."

But it seems he only made it worse.

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm sayin' this… Come on, I'll… ugh… show you." Ichigo said, the hint of embarrassment was obvious in his voice.

Ichigo led Nozomi to the casuals aisle and pointed at the clothes.

"Basically, you pick some clothes here and you can try them on over there." Ichigo pointed at the fitting room. "And then you pay for them over there." Ichigo pointed to the counter this time.

"I see!" Nozomi's eyes lit up and she immediately picked a few clothes. "I'll try these on." She then rushed to the fitting room in record time.

 _"Woah, I didn't think she'd be this into it. Well, she IS a girl after all…"_ Ichigo thought while in a detective like pose.

He went in front of the fitting room and sat down on a chair. It took a while before Nozomi came out, but Ichigo was already asleep.

"Ehem."

No response.

"EHEM!"

"Aw, Yuzu… I don't feel like going to school today…"

Nozomi's eyebrow twitched and she stomped on Ichigo's foot furiously.

"Hey Ouch! What was that!? Ichigo sprang awake from the sudden pain but instantly calmed down after seeing Nozomi in different clothes, although she doesn't seem very happy because he decided to take a nap.

"Oh, Nozomi… You look… great."

Nozomi was wearing a loose t shirt with alternating black and green horizontal stripes, baring her collarbones, and black skinny jeans.

"Stop staring, pervert." Nozomi instantly turned away with a blush, and so did Ichigo.

"I'm serious, you do look great!" Ichigo involuntarily spoke up again, making Nozomi blush even harder.

"…idiot."

"Whatever, come on, we'll have to pay for them first."

"…um… Ichigo… thank you." Nozomi became even redder upon realizing what she just said.

"Huh? Said something?"

Nozomi was at first surprised, but a smile formed on her lips not too long after. "No."

…

Ichigo and Nozomi headed back after that, it was already 2:00pm so they were in a hurry.

"Hey, Ichigo." Nozomi broke the silence this time.

"Yeah?"

"Are you really okay with your Reiatsu disappearing just like that?" She had asked a serious question. But Ichigo was unfazed. In fact, he even seemed glad she asked.

"Well, I don't know. Without my Shinigami powers, I can't fight Hollows anymore, so I can't protect everyone like I used to anymore." Ichigo admitted, he was smiling while looking up at the sky. Nozomi was perplexed by this strange behavior, but before she could reply, Ichigo spoke again.

"But I don't regret it one bit. As long as I know that the sacrifice of my powers saved countless lives. And besides, Ishida, Chad, and Inoue are still here. And so is Soul Society." Ichigo smiled at Nozomi, causing her to turn away for the nth time.

"But… you said YOU'D protect me…" Nozomi said, surprising Ichigo with the sudden change in her attitude.

"Nozomi." She looked at him, and they stared at each other's eyes for a few moments.

"Even without my powers, if you ever get yourself in a pinch, I'll find a way to protect you. That's a promise!" Ichigo reassured her, giving a thumbs up and a smile.

"How lame." Nozomi chuckled.

"Hey…" Ichigo tried to complain but Nozomi stopped him by putting her finger on his mouth.

"Don't break your promises… you idiot."

"Alright." Ichigo replied.

The two smiled at each other before continuing their way back home.

* * *

First Chapter. R&R if you like. Ja ne.


	3. Chapter 2

I don't own Bleach.

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Chapter 2: Protect

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"Ichi-Nii! Nozomii-san! It's time for breakfast!" Yuzu's voice ringed through Kurosaki Clinic.

Ichigo got up from bed and changed into his casuals. He headed towards the mirror and took a quick glance at himself. "Huh?" He inspected the mirror closer and touched the sides of his face. There were small pieces of hair starting to grow into sideburns.

He exited his room and walked down the hallway to reach another room. He knocked at the door at first, but there was no response. "Nozomi! You awake yet?"

It took a while, and there was still no response. Ichigo debated on whether to knock again or wait for a while. He decided to wait for a while longer before knocking again. But before he could, Nozomi opened the door.

"Oh Nozomi… good morning." Ichigo greeted. Nozomi was obviously still sleepy. Her hair was springing out in random directions, and she was still droopy-eyed. They stared at each other awkwardly for a while, before realizing she was still in her loose nightgown.

"Pervert." She said before slamming the door shut.

"Aye." Ichigo replied.

It's already been a week since the battle in Soul Society ended and Ichigo lost his Reiatsu. Nozomi was still staying with the Kurosakis, since she had nowhere else to go.

"ICHIGO, MY SON! GOOD MORNING!" Isshin dashed at Ichigo and jumped on him. Ichigo immediately sidestepped out of the way, causing his father to hit the wall instead.

"Ow! Why did you dodge?" Isshin complained childishly, complete with anime tears.

"What the hell kind of question is that, dad!?"

"Anyway, what are you doing in front of this room?"

"Haven't Karin or Yuzu told you? Nozomi's staying here with us."

"Ooooh! Your girlfriend! Finally becoming a man huh?" Isshin childishly congratulated his son, repeatedly shaking his hands while still comically crying.

"What are you-"

"Ichigo, what's with the noise?" Nozomi opened the door, immediately getting the attention of Isshin.

"Oh! My future daughter-in law!"

"Ichigo, what-" is all Nozomi managed to say before being interrupted by Isshin.

"You have my gratitude for choosing my son to be with forever! You can call me Dad from now on!" He now congratulated Nozomi in the same manner he did with Ichigo, leaving his son heavily embarrassed.

"What?" Nozomi was completely confused by now.

"Dad, cut the crap!" Ichigo kicked his dad from behind, comically sending him flying out the window.

"Good Morning, Nozomi!" Kon greeted but met the same fate as Isshin after patting Nozomi on the legs again.

"Wow, Kon's been flying a lot nowadays…" Ichigo commented.

…

"Okay, I'm off" Ichigo said before heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Nozomi asked, who was sitting on the couch.

"School."

"School?"

"Yep. School."

"What's that?"

"Huh? Well…" Ichigo himself didn't know how to explain what a school is, and so he decided to improvise. "Basically, it's a place where instructors teach you stuff. Some you need, some you don't." It was a bad explanation, but Nozomi, being Nozomi, believed it.

"When will you be back?"

"Probably much later."

"I see…" Nozomi replied, somewhat saddened by what Ichigo said.

"Hey don't worry, Kon will keep you company!"

"That doesn't make me feel better at all." Nozomi said, but Ichigo successfully cheered her up with that joke.

"See ya later, Nozomi."

"Right.

Ichigo went of the house, leaving Nozomi alone. She decided to just continue watching Television. Until Karin went to her after looking around.

"Hey, where's Ichi-Nii?" Karin asked her.

"He said he'd go to… um… school, was it?" Nozomi answered.

"Huh? That's funny, Its already 5 pm. And he doesn't have school today. Maybe he's going _there_ again."

"There?" Nozomi asked, confused at what Karin just said.

"Oh right, we haven't told you yet. Today's the day our mom died. Ichi-Nii spends most of the day by her grave." Karin told her.

 _"I see, he lied to me."_ Nozomi thought. She immediately stood up and headed for the door. "I'm going out for a bit."

"Hey wait…" Karin said, but Nozomi was already gone.

…

Nozomi wandered around town to look for Ichigo, although she had no idea where he might be. She eventually ran into Isshin again after a while.

"Oh hey! Nozomi-chan." He greeted, although Nozomi was slightly disturbed by his somewhat perverted behavior.

"…dad." Nozomi said, recalling what Isshin said to her that morning.

"Wow! You don't know how happy I am to hear that! All of a sudden I have a new daughter! So, when will you and my son get married? Isshin once again childishly congratulated Nozomi, who instantly blushed upon hearing the word "marry", and stomped on Isshin's foot out of embarrassment.

"Ouch! You're just like my son! No wonder you two get along!" Isshin cried out, completely weirding out Nozomi.

"Where's Ichigo?" Nozomi asked.

"Oh, miss him already?" Isshin continued to tease her, until she glared at him murderously. "Relax, I was just kidding! He's on top of that hill." He said, pointing to a hill outside Karakura's borders. "I just got back myself, Ichigo said he'll stay with Masaki for a while."

"…Masaki?" Nozomi asked him.

"My wife, and Ichigo's mom." Isshin replied.

"I see. Later, dad." Nozomi said before heading towards the hill's direction.

"I'm so happy!" Isshin attempted to hug Nozomi from behind, but was stopped short when she turned back and glared at him sharply.

"Just kidding!" Isshin said while scratching the back of his head and laughing.

"…Pervert." Nozomi said before finally leaving.

…

"I'm home! Karin! Yuzu!" Isshin shouted out. Yuzu came running and hugged her dad.

"You smell like smoke!" Yuzu complained.

"Oh sorry." Isshin apologized sheepishly, but her daughter only smiled at him.

"Hey dad, where's Ichi-Nii and Nozomi-san?" Karin asked her father, only for him to stare at her with a serious face. Karin thought it was a serious matter, until Isshin talked.

"Nozomi-san…? She's your future sister-in-law! You should call her Onee-chan!" Isshin spoke like the prime minister.

"Uh…yeah." Karin sweatdropped at Isshin's statement.

"Anyway, Ichigo's still on the hill and Nozomi-chan's on her way there."

"Hm? Oh you've been there dad? So that's why you smell like smoke." Yuzu said to her dad.

"So…" Isshin cleared his throat. "Let's start preparing dinner, They'll probably be already hungry by the time they get back." He finished his sentence, and joyfully leaped to the kitchen, with Yuzu following.

"Just what did you think they'll be doing?" Karin sighed before following her father and sister into the kitchen.

…

Nozomi climbed the hill to see Ichigo crouched down on the soil, in front of a grave. She stood there for a while, before deciding to approach him.

"Huh?" Ichigo turned around to see Nozomi, who instantly turned away. "Nozomi? Why are you here?"

"You lied to me."

"Huh? Oh right. Sorry. I just didn't want you to worry." Ichigo admitted.

"You're an idiot." Nozomi blushed slightly upon hearing Ichigo's words.

"I said I was sorry."

"Not that." Nozomi said, who was still looking away. Ichigo faced his mother's grave again.

"It's been around 7 years already." Ichigo said weakly.

"How did it happen?" She asked him. He stared at her for a while before turning back to her mom's grave.

"Nine years ago, mom protected me from a Hollow. I couldn't do anything but watch her die. I was so useless." Ichigo said with a weak voice, but Nozomi was able to hear him.

"That's why I wanted to protect you and everyone else. So I don't have to watch someone die again." Ichigo said firmly.

"But who'll protect you?" Nozomi asked without looking at him.

"I don't need someone to protect me. As long as I can keep the people around me safe… It's enough for me." Ichigo said looking at his mother's picture on the grave.

Nozomi and Ichigo stayed there in silence for a while.

"Ichigo…" Nozomi said while blushing, and embraced Ichigo from behind. He was surprised by this, but he didn't resist. "…I forgive you."

"And… thank you."

Nozomi released Ichigo after a few minutes. She was heavily blushing out of embarrassment, and even Ichigo had a slight tint of red on his face.

"Let's go back now. It's getting late." Ichigo said.

"Alright."

They climbed down the hill together and made their way back home. It's been a long day, and they had no idea that it'd turn out this way.

* * *

Hey guys, thanks for the views, favs and follows. It's inspiring to know people appreciate my work. R&R if you liked this chapter. I'll update soon. Ja ne.


	4. Chapter 3

The anime/manga Bleach is not in my ownership.

* * *

Chapter 3: Happy Birthday

* * *

"Psst! Nozomi, wake up." Kon whispered from the other side of Nozomi's room. He obviously did not want to get kicked so early in the morning.

"What… Pervert, what are you doing over there? The girl said upon being woken up.

"Well… You'd kick me out of the window again if I entered your range." Kon replied, slightly tearing up at the thought of the physical abuse he's been receiving lately.

"Uh…"

"Anyway!" Kon returned to his usual demeanor on a whim. "Today's Ichigo's birthday!"

"Really?"

"… You do have a gift right?" Kon asked curiously.

"No."

"Huh? Then we should go buy one right away!" Kon said proudly.

"… why?" Nozomi said nonchalantly. Kon fell to the ground in an anime-esque way, but immediately got up a few seconds later.

"Well... if you ask me, I have no obligation to buy him a gift." Kon admitted.

"Then why should I get him one?"

"Because you like Ichigo!" Kon said, making Nozomi blush heavily.

"W-what? No I don't!" She yelled at Kon's face.

"Hey, keep it down! You'll wake him up!" Kon whispered while frantically shushing.

"Oh… sorry." Nozomi apologized while still blushing. "Well I guess I'm going to give him a gift as thanks for all he's done for me… but what should I get him?"

"… I don't know." Kon said while scratching the back of his head.

"Useless Pervert."

"You don't have to be so critical you know? That's why we go look for one now!"

"Alright. Get out, I'm going to change. I'll rip you apart if you peek." Nozomi ordered.

"Okay okay… sheesh." Kon complained and got out of the room.

It took a good 5 minutes before Nozomi got out of the room.

"All right, let's go."

…

Ichigo got up from bed and directly headed downstairs. Upon catching the attention of his family, he was immediately greeted by them.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ICHIGO/ICHI-NII!"

"Oh hey… thanks guys!" Ichigo thanked his family before looking around for a while. "Hey, you guys seen Nozomi? She wasn't in her room." _"Kon's missing too. I wonder what's up."_

"Um no, we haven't, have we?" Yuzu asked her dad and sister.

"Nope." Karin replied.

"Probably went out for a walk, I guess…" Ichigo said, with a slightly sad tone.

"Relax! You can spend time with Nozomi-chan later! Look what I've got!" Isshin said out loud, holding out four movie tickets.

"Yay! Movie day!" Yuzu cheered out while Karin only smiled.

"Alright then."

…

Nozomi and Kon, who was in her bag, were strolling down searching for a good gift for Ichigo, until a television caught Nozomi's attention.

"Oi, Nozomi, why are we stopping?" Kon complained although he was ignored.

The movie was about a poor family. The daughter wanted to give his father a gift for his birthday, but because she had no money, she was unable to buy one.

"Nozomi-san!"

Nozomi turned around to see Inoue running towards her, followed by Ishida and Chad.

"Inoue…"

"What are you doing here Nozomi-san?" Inoue asked Nozomi, who looked away and blushed slightly.

"Um…"

"Were you perhaps going to buy Kurosaki a birthday present?" Ishida said in a very straightforward manner, causing Nozomi to turn redder.

"Wha-" Nozomi attempted to talk but was interrupted by Kon.

"Yes she is!"

"Sh-shut up pervert!"

"Hey guys, we should hurry." Chad told his companions.

"Oh right, see you later, Kujou-san." Ishida said.

"Bye, Nozomi-san!" Inoue said before joining his companions to somewhere. Where they were going was beyond Nozomi.

"…Alright."

"Nozomi! Oi! Earth to Nozomi!" Kon called out.

"What?" Nozomi replied, after a while.

"We've wasted too much time!"

"Oh r-right, sorry."

"Anyway, you should really consider what you're going to buy. It can't be something too expensive. How much money do you have?"

"Let me check." Nozomi pulled out a purse from her pocket and checked it and pulled out a few coins.

"Uh… twelve yen."

"WHAT!? You can't buy anything with that!" Kon shouted out after finding out that Nozomi was practically broke.

"Well, that's not my fault!"

"So much for buying a present…" Kon said rather dejectedly.

…

Nozomi and Kon were headed home after failing to buy Ichigo a birthday present but stopped to window-shop at a cake shop on the way.

"…this one looks sweet…" Nozomi said while examining a strawberry cake.

"Hey… that's four eyes!" Kon whispered quietly, but loud enough for Nozomi to hear.

They went inside to check but the bells that rang upon the door's opening alerted Ishida, Chad, and Inoue of Nozomi's presence.

"Kujou-san? What are you doing here? Chad asked.

"I think we should be asking you that!" Kon countered but was forcibly stuffed back into the bag by Nozomi.

"Oh well, Secret's out." Ishida said while pushing up his glasses.

"Ehehe…" Inoue laughed awkwardly and explained the situation. "We were going to buy Kurosaki-kun a birthday cake while his dad takes him and his sisters to see the movies. And since you're practically living with him, we thought we should keep it a secret from you too, Sorry."

"No, it's alright." Nozomi smiled a bit. "So, have you picked one yet?"

"Well, not really. Hey, why don't you pick one Nozomi-san?" Inoue cheerfully declared.

"M-me? Well…" Nozomi scanned around for a bit before spotting the cake she was observing earlier. "How about that one?"

"Strawberry? Sounds good. Any objections?" Ishida asked his companions.

"None." Chad and Inoue answered.

"Who's paying?" Nozomi asked, clearly remembering the thought that she has little to no money.

"Don't worry, Isshin-san gave us money for this. Well, it IS his plan." Ishida stated.

"That's great to hear." Nozomi sighed in relief.

"Well then, we should get going. The movie's probably going to end soon." Inoue said.

"Right."

…

Ichigo and his family have just finished the movie and were about to enter the house.

"Ichigo, Yuzu, Karin, wait here for a while." Isshin said and crouched down to Yuzu's level.

"Enter the house after a minute, no more, no less, got it?" He whispered to Yuzu.

"I can hear you perfectly you know?" Karin said.

"I didn't." Ichigo spoke up. "What was that about?"

"N-nothing!" Isshin panicked and then entered the house quickly. Noises can be clearly heard, weirding out Ichigo even more. After approximately a minute, the three entered the house and was met with darkness.

"What-" Ichigo attempted to speak but was interrupted by the lights suddenly turning on.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ICHIGO!" He was met by the greetings from his dad, Inoue, Chad, Ishida, and Nozomi.

"You guys!" Ichigo said surprised.

"You seriously didn't see this coming?" Ishida asked him.

"Well actually I did because of dad's actions but… It's still pretty surprising. Thanks guys." Ichigo was slightly embarrassed.

"Alright, bring out the cake!" Isshin said while Chad got the cake out.

"Strawberry?" Ichigo examined the cake.

"Nozomi-san was the one who chose that!" Inoue said proudly.

"Really? Thanks, Nozomi!"

"Uh yeah…" Nozomi answered before looking away and slightly blushed.

"Alright! Let's get started!" Isshin once again acted childishly.

They all sang a "Happy Birthday" for Ichigo and sliced the cake. Ichigo of course, was given two slices.

"Time for the gifts!" Yuzu spoke up after cleaning up the tables.

Everybody lined up to give Ichigo presents. First up was Yuzu and Karin. Ichigo opened up the box and pulled out a new sports sweater.

"Wow, thanks." Ichigo said while patting his sisters' heads.

Next up was Isshin. Ichigo opened his present to reveal a new watch.

"Woah! Thanks a lot dad!"

"Hehe, anything for my son!"

Next up was Inoue. Her present was elaborately wrapped so Ichigo took a while to open it. It was a silver bracelet with the letter I.

"Thanks, Inoue!" Inoue smiled at him and said. "You're welcome."

Chad's turn. Compared to Inoue's, his present's wrapping was much simpler. Inside was a new pair of sneakers.

"Hey, thanks buddy!" Chad gave him a thumbs-up and Ichigo did the same.

It was now Ishida's turn. His present was a necklace with a miniature replica of Tensa Zangetsu's sword guard, obviously custom made.

"Wow… This is… Thanks, Ishida."

"Yeah whatever. You're welcome."

"Daw, I'm touched.

Finally, it was Nozomi's turn. But after walking up to him, she only stood there and looked way blushing.

"Uh… Nozomi?" Ichigo called out to her.

"Nozomi-san? You do have a gift right?" A concerned Inoue asked.

"Y-yes…" Nozomi said before finally looking at Ichigo. "I-Ichigo…"

"Yes?"

"C-come closer." Nozomi blushed even harder. Ichigo came closer to Nozomi until their faces were only inches apart.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked with a tone of concern. Nozomi looked him straight in the eye.

"My gift." Nozomi drew her face closer to Ichigo's and kissed him on the cheek. Everybody present was speechless from shock. Even Ishida spat out the soda he was drinking.

"Wh-wha…" Ichigo was now blushing, but Nozomi was blushing much harder.

"Happy Birthday, Ichigo." She smiled at him, and he did the same.

"Thanks, Nozomi."

After that, the party continued until well past 7pm. Everybody went home after cleaning up the mess. Karin and Yuzu were now asleep from exhaustion, so Isshin had to carry them upstairs. Nozomi also returned to her room after bidding Ichigo a good night.

"Wild party eh?" Kon said, he was now safe from being discovered by Karin and Yuzu.

"Yeah, I guess." Ichigo replied.

"You guess? You got a kiss from Nozomi you lucky bastard! You should be rejoicing and praising the heavens now!"

"Sh-shut up! I'm going upstairs now, turn off the tv before you go up," Ichigo said before going to his room on the second floor.

"Listen to him acting like a boss because it's his birthday." Kon complained and picked up the remote but the show caught his attention.

"This is the show Nozomi was watching earlier…" Kon decided to watch for a while before turning it off.

In the end, the daughter gave her father a present, which was a kiss on the cheek.

"Huh? So that's why. How... sweet." Kon said, slightly smiling. He turned off the tv and went upstairs as well.

* * *

Belated Happy Birthday Ichigo!

* * *

Anyway, thanks for the review! I'll see what I can do. But I intend to cover Tale of the Lost Agent so yeah. Thanks for spending time to read my story! Mata ne.


	5. Chapter 4

I now own Bleach. Just kidding.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Power to Protect

* * *

The sun rose and illuminated the dark room of Kujou Nozomi. It was still pretty early, and considering the birthday party they had for Ichigo last night, it's understandable that she'll be tired. She didn't plan on waking for another few hours, but her plans were thwarted when she was woken up by a knock on her window. She got out of bed and checked the silhouette.

"Black clothes…?" Nozomi rubbed her eyes as she leaned in closer to the window. "…a Shinigami?"

She slowly opened the window and peeked outside.

"Yo." The person greeted.

"Rukia! Why are you here?" Nozomi asked her, albeit in a sleepy tone.

"Oh, I came to deliver this." Rukia said while she handed Nozomi her reforged Zanpakutou.

"Arazome Shigure!" Nozomi exclaimed and she received her sword. "Thanks."

"No prob." Rukia smiled at her. "Well, I'm off. I've got some things to take care of."

"Alright."

Rukia started to leave but turned back for a while.

"Oh, and take care of Ichigo."

"Sure."

With that, Rukia returned to Seireitei. Nozomi put her Zanpakutou against the wall near her bed, and lied down again. She was deep in thought after regaining her sword, thinking about her resolve to help protect the people around her.

…

"Ugh, Morning already?" Ichigo complained as he got up from bed. He glanced at the clock for a while and noticed that it's not moving. "I'll have to buy some batteries later." He reached for his phone and checked the time. "10:43 am…"

He changed his clothes and headed downstairs. Isshin was nowhere to be seen, and so was Yuzu. Karin, on the other hand, was watching television.

"Hey, Karin, where's dad and Yuzu?" Ichigo asked his sister, who turned around after a while.

"Hm? I don't know, probably did some grocery shopping." Karin replied and returned to watch tv.

"Uh, okay then. Wonder what I should do today?" Ichigo thought out loud, unaware that his sister heard him.

"Why not hang out with your girlfriend?" Karin asked while holding back a devious grin.

"Wha- I already told you that she's not my girlfriend!" Ichigo replied, slightly blushing.

"Who's she?" His sister asked, acting innocent all of a sudden.

"Nozomi!" Ichigo answered, falling into Karin's trap.

"Whoops. Someone just admitted it." She snickered devilishly. Ichigo facepalmed while grunting. "Hey, I was just kidding. It's just fun to watch how you get so worked up over her."

"Whatever! I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back later." Ichigo said and exited the house. He walked along the sidewalk thinking of something to do. Life's been pretty dull for Ichigo ever since he lost his powers, although it's much livelier than his normal life before because of Nozomi, and to a lesser extent, Kon.

"Ichigo!" A deep masculine voice called out to him.

"Oh hey, Chad! What's up?" Ichigo asked as his friend walked up to him.

"Nothing much, just wanted to see how you're doing."

"Oh well, It's less busy now without Substitute Shinigami work…"

"I see… hey Ichigo, be careful. Without your powers, you're defenseless against Hollows should they attack." Chad reminded him, obviously worried about Ichigo's safety.

"Thanks for the concern." Ichigo replied. "But don't worry, I'll be fine. All that training I wpuldn't go to waste just like that."

"Okay, I gotta go now. See you later, Ichigo."

"Yeah." Chad left Ichigo and headed towards the other street.

"Hm… I guess the park's a good place to hang out in..."

…

Nozomi went downstairs at somewhere around 11:20. She had breakfast and changed her clothes. Kon and Arazome Shigure in tow, she headed to park, reason being she felt like it.

"Nozomi-saaannn!" She heard a voice call out. She turned around to see Inoue running towards her, in the same manner as yesterday.

"Inoue…"

"Inoue-saaaan!" Kon greeted but was forcibly stuffed back inside the bag, once again in the same manner as yesterday.

"What are you doing here,Nozomi-san" Inoue asked curiously.

"I… well, I don't know…"

"Kurosaki-kun isn't with you?"

"No, he wasn't in the house when I woke up."

"I see…" Inoue replied before asking another question. "Nozomi-san… do you… like Kurosaki-kun?"

Nozomi stared at her for a while, before blushing madly after realizing what she meant.

"Wh-what? N-no I don't! Why would I… like him…" Nozomi blurted out, thinking about the events that transpired ever since she met Ichigo.

"Nozomi-san… it isn't bad to like someone. Especially Kurosaki-kun, he's such a nice guy!" Inoue praised Ichigo while smiling at Nozomi.

"I…" Nozomi attempted to speak but was interrupted by a sudden spike of Reiatsu.

"What-" Just then, a large Hollow appeared and attacked them. The Hollow raised its giant claws and slammed the ground. Nozomi switched to her Shinigami form and carried Inoue to safety. "Hold this for me." Nozomi handed Inoue the bag that contained Kon.

"Nozomi! What are you going to do?" A concerned Kon asked.

"I'll get rid of it." Nozomi stated and dashed at the Hollow. She raised her sword and slashed at the Hollow, but blocked her attack with its other hand and sent her flying.

"Kh!" Nozomi fell from a considerable distance but she was caught by the combined efforts of Inoue and Kon **.**

Just as Nozomi got up, the Hollow turned around and walked away.

"The Hollow, it's heading towards the park!" Nozomi said while she got up.

"Oh no… This is bad!" Inoue said. "I saw Kurosaki-kun headed to the park a minute ago!"

"Ichigo!" Nozomi instantly realized the danger Ichigo was in and launched another attack at the Hollow, but was once again deflected.

"Are you alright?" Inoue asked her but she was cut short when the Hollow decided to retaliate.

 **"Sacred Links Shield!"** Inoue raised her hands to her head and an orange triangular shield appeared, stopping the Hollow's attack.

"Thanks." Nozomi said as she got up again. _"I can't use my Shikai to absorb a Hollow's Reiatsu… What should I do? It'll just deflect my physical attacks!_

Nozomi attempted to formulate a strategy, but she was interrupted when the Hollow was stopped in its tracks by a volley of arrows. Nozomi and Inoue looked up to see Ishida standing on the roof of an adjacent house.

"Four-eyes!" Kon exclaimed.

"Yo, looks like you guys need a hand." Ishida said before launching another volley of arrows at the Hollow, but it managed to block them with its gigantic claws.

"Kujou-san!" Ishida called out.

"Right!" She said as she dashed towards the Hollow. It got into position to block but was met by another volley of arrows. This distracted it enough for Nozomi to slash it from the elbow down to the waist.

"Did you defeat it?" Kon asked Nozomi.

"No, its exterior is too tough for our attacks. We need something more destructive." Nozomi explained, before glancing at her Zanpakutou. "All right, it's worth a try."

"Ishida!" Nozomi called put to him.

"All right, I understand." Ishida answered, immediately realizing Nozomi's plan.

Nozomi quickly dashed once again at the Hollow, which was beginning to get irritated and launched a much stronger claw attack. Nozomi managed to dodge and land behind the Hollow.

"Now!" Nozomi exclaimed and Ishida nodded before releasing another volley of arrows, but this time it was directed at Nozomi.

She held her arrow in front of the arrows and blocked them, confusing the Hollow momentarily. The Hollow rushed towards Nozomi, not noticing the pink shroud of Reiatsu slowly enveloping her blade.

"Just a little more!" Nozomi said but the Hollow swiped down its claws at her.

"Nozomi!" Kon called out. Luckily Inoue made it just in time to block the Hollow's attack.

"Thanks, Inoue! Alright, it's ready." Nozomi said as Ishida stopped releasing arrows. Her Zanpakutou was now completely shrouded by pink Reiatsu. "Get away now, Inoue!"

Inoue dispelled her shield, causing the Hollow to lose balance for a while.

Nozomi raised her sword above her head and stared at the Hollow.

 **"Rain without End! Arazome Shigure!"**

At her command, Nozomi's Zanpakutou changed to reveal the Reiatsu stored inside the blade.

"I won't let you harm Ichigo! This is… the power to protect!" Nozomi shouted and swung her blade down to release a large wave of pink Reiatsu. The Hollow tried to block but was enveloped by the blast and was completely obliterated. Nozomi reverted back and fell to her knees.

"She did it!" Inoue cheered as she and Ishida rushed to her side.

"Nozomi! Are you okay?" Kon asked while running towards her.

"Yeah… I'm alright."

"Protect huh? You really are similar to Kurosaki." Ishida stated while pushing up his glasses.

Nozomi smiled while slightly blushing upon remembering her earlier words. She was helped up by Inoue and was handed her bag back.

"Oi! What are you guys doing here?" Someone called out, causing them to search where the voice came from.

"Kurosaki!" Ishida said.

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun! Nothing, we just… met up here by chance." Inoue explained, which was rather true.

"Well I'll be going now, see you." Ishida bid before walking away.

"I'll be going too! Bye Kurosaki-kun! Nozomi-san!" Inoue said and tried to catch up to Ishida.

"What's with them?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"…beats me." Nozomi said after remembering Inoue's earlier question.

"Well we should go home now! We've been out too long!" Kon said popping out of Nozomi's bag.

"Kon? When did you get here?"

Nozomi smiled as she watched the two bicker. They finally walked home after a while.

 _"Ichigo… Do I… like you?"_ Nozomi thought as they went on their way. She took one glance at Ichigo before blushing and looking away, confusing Ichigo.

"I guess I'll find out soon ." Nozomi thought out loud.

"Hm? Did you say something, Nozomi?" Ichigo asked her.

"No, I didn't." Nozomi answered as a smile forced itself on her face.

* * *

Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! It's really touching to see how much my work gets appreciated. I'll do what I can. Anyway, next chapter will take place after the timeskip. Ja ne!


	6. Chapter 5

I don't own Bleach. Maybe next year.

* * *

Chapter 5: Normal

* * *

Waking up early has always been a constant in Kurosaki Ichigo's life. Before, this was mainly due to his duties as a Substitute Shinigami. Seventeen months after the battle against Aizen Sousuke, Ichigo no longer has his Reiatsu. He is now a normal human being, just like how he always wanted. But the "normal" part doesn't really suit him well.

"Good Morning, Ichigo!" His sister, Yuzu, greeted him as he descended the stairs.

"Oh, hey, Yuzu." Ichigo greeted but was disturbed too see her still staring at him, obviously expecting something. "What is it?"

"You didn't even notice I'm wearing my new junior high uniform?" Yuzu childishly complained.

"Oh right, it's your admittance ceremony today." Ichigo deadpanned. He sits down on the table and gets ready to eat breakfast. "Can you pass the soy sauce?"

"You're so mean! I'm not putting the burned rice you like so much in your bowl!" She complained, although she still passed him the soy sauce.

"Huh…" Ichigo started to eat his breakfast and finished it in a few minutes. He got ready for school after that, and got ready to leave.

"Ichigo."

"Nozomi, good morning." Ichigo greeted the green haired girl.

"Going to school?" She asked him.

"Yeah." Ichigo replied. "I've still got a lot to catch up to."

"I see. See you later then." Nozomi smiled at him.

"Okay." Ichigo then exited the house while Nozomi watched him leave.

"Yo, Nozomi-chan! Isshin leaped towards her.

"Oh, hey… dad." Nozomi was still weirded out by him, despite having lived in the same house for around seventeen months.

"Which tie do you think will suit me better?" He asked.

"Umm… I think they're the same." Nozomi replied nonchalantly, not even bothering to look at the ties. She headed directly to the dining table after that, leaving a depressed Isshin, debating on what tie to wear.

…

Ichigo walked in a steady pace towards school. It was still pretty early so he had no fear of being late. Not that it mattered to him before. He continued on his way until he spotted one of his classmates, Kojima Mizuiro.

"Oi, Mizuiro!" Ichigo greeted.

"Ichigo! Good morning." Mizuiro politely returned the greeting. "Shall we go to school together?"

"Sure."

"Ichigo!" A loud voice rang through. Ichigo turned around to see none other Asano Keigo, in his usual energetic demeanor nonetheless. Ichigo waited until he's close enough and subdues him with a clothes-line and grabs his head in a vice.

"Ow! You don't have to overdo it you know?" Keigo complained, but it fell into deaf ears.

"Hey, have you seen Tatsuki around?" Ichigo asked his companions.

"No, why ask?" Keigo countered with another question.

"Well, I was gonna return her this video game…" Ichigo said as he attempted to search for it in his bag, but came upon his Substitute Shinigami badge. _"Huh… I guess I forgot to return it. Well it doesn't matter, it doesn't seem to be working anymore. It doesn't even react to spirits anymore."._ Ichigo thought as he returned it in his bag. "Oh, here it is."

…

A few hours later during lunch, Ichigo and Keigo headed to the rooftops to hang out there.

"So how's it going for you?" Keigo asked him.

"Hm? Well, things are pretty… normal… ever since I lost my powers. " Ichigo answered. "Ishida seems to have taken over my job to exterminate Hollows, since the Shinigami assigned to this town has just proven his incompetence."

"Enough of that, you should really think about your future. Your grades have dropped since the ninth grade." Keigo reprimanded his friend. "Geez, I wonder what happened to Rukia-san…" He thought out loud, catching Ichigo's attention.

"It'd be nice if she visited once in a while…" He added.

"Well, since she's no longer the representative of Karakura, she doesn't have much of a reason to drop by." Ichigo reminded Keigo.

"Do you miss her?" Keigo curiously asked him.

"Hm?" Ichigo looked at him for a while. "Nah… This is the kind of normal life I've always wanted."

"I see." Keigo replied. "Well, with a cute girlfriend like Nozomi-san, naturally you won't think about other girls." He teased.

"What?" Ichigo lashed out at Keigo, who was laughing.

"Just kidding! No need to get so violent." Keigo apologized to him.

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch, and the two returned to their classroom.

…

It was dismissal time by now, and Ichigo, along with Keigo and Mizuiro, were preparing to leave school, as they were walking towards the gate, they spotted Nozomi waiting there.

"Nozomi? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked her, causing her to look away.

"Well, I was bored so I thought I'd pick you up." She answered with a slight blush on her face.

"Ichigo, you're such a lucky guy!" Keigo teased once again, earning a chop to the forehead.

"Nozomi-san, is it?" Mizuiro asked her.

"Y-yeah."

"I'm Kojima Mizuiro, nice to meet you." He said as he introduced himself.

The four started to walk home but after a few minutes, a man's voice can be heard.

"Hey! My bag!" The man shouted while chasing another man dressed in black wearing a ski mask.

"A robbery!" Mizuiro said but before they can react, the robber passed them and snatched Nozomi's bag as well.

"Tsk." She attempted to chase down the robber herself but was stopped by Ichigo, who held her on the shoulder and gave her I'll-handle-this look. She nodded and said. "Go for it."

Ichigo ran at the speed surpassing that of a professional athlete's and effortlessly catched up to the robber. The robber was greatly surprised, but still retaliated. He pulled out a knife, but was immediately stopped by Ichigo and was knocked out in one hit.

 _"It seems even though I lost my powers, I still retained the results of all those training sessions."_ Ichigo thought as he picked up the bags of Nozomi and the man. He went to the man and returned him his bag.

"Hey thanks kid! You're pretty good! Say, why don't you let me treat you to some ramen?" The man offered happily as he received his bag.

"Thanks, but I decline." He refused the man's offer, which saddened him a bit. "Just don't mention this to other people okay? I don't want trouble in school." Ichigo requested.

"All right." The man said as Ichigo returned to his friends.

"Here." Ichigo said as he returned Nozomi's bag.

"Thanks." She blushed a bit while smiling as her bag was returned to her.

Ichigo turned around to see Mizuiro and Keigo smiling at them weirdly, causing Nozomi to turn away in embarrassment.

"What are you staring at!?" Ichigo lashed out at them both, causing them to laugh.

…

"You're very wary, Kurosaki Ichigo." The man from before said, who was watching Ichigo and his companions leave. The man was holding a Substitute Shinigami badge, and he took a glance at it before returning it in his bag.

* * *

Well, that officially starts the canon part. Once again, thanks for the time guys. Ja.


	7. Chapter 6

I don't own Bleach. Although I once dreamt that I do. And I was in Japan.

* * *

Chapter 6: A day in the life of Kurosaki Ichigo

* * *

"How long are ya gonna keep sleeping, Ichigo!? I'm gonna wake you up with my fist!" A shadow said to Ichigo.

 _"W-wha- Renji?"_ Ichigo thought as he attempted to reach the shadow, but he couldn't move.

"Not going to wake up? Kurosaki Ichigo?" Another shadow said, shocking Ichigo even more.

 _"What the? Byakuya!? Alright, what's going on here?"_ Ichigo was still unable to move. He continued to struggle but it was in vain. Just then, a third shadow appeared.

"You fool! Wake up, Ichigo!" The third shadow commanded, but Ichigo was still unable to move.

 _"Rukia! What the hell is happening!?"_ Ichigo attempted to speak, but he couldn't. Then all of a sudden the shadows started to float away.

 _Wha- hey! Wait!"_ Ichigo was finally able to move his arms but his vision changed to that of his room's ceiling.

"WAAAAKKKEEE UPPPP! IIICHIII-!" Ichigo was completely woken up b his father's shouting. Isshin tried jumping on him, but was tripped and headed straight to the window. "-gooo…"

"ARE YOU STUPID!? ARE YOU!?" Isshin complained as he was hanging from the window, trying to get back up. "What would've happened if I fell!? If I died!?"

"Hell, I'd know." Ichigo deadpanned, as he changed his clothes. "If you died, you'd go to Soul Society, right?"

"Ho… Nice come back." His father said.

"Besides, you wouldn't die falling from the second floor." Ichigo said as he tried to push remove his dad's grip on the windows. "And I had a weird dream because of you, so apologize by falling down now."

"Waaaahhhh! Stop it! I'm gonna fall! I'm really gonna faaaaallll!" Isshin pleaded with his son, but paused after realizing Ichigo's words.

"…? A weird dream? What was it like?" He asked, still hanging out the window.

"…Yeah how did it go? Trying to talk about it made me forget." Ichigo admitted. He went downstairs to see Karin and Yuzu already eating breakfast. He looked around for a bit before joining them. "Anyone seen Nozomi?" He asked.

"Nope, probably still sleeping." Karin answered.

"Wow, she's been sleeping in a lot recently."

…

"So, how much are you offering?" Ichigo asked a man.

"5-5000 yen." The man stuttered before answering.

"5000 yen for one week? Give me a break! Next!" Ichigo said as he shoved the man aside. A younger student entered next.

"I am Satoda, vice president of the soccer club! We would like to enlist your help, Kurosaki-sen-" Satoda introduced himself but was interrupted by Ichigo.

"Just tell me how much you're paying and for how long."

"Ichigo… hm?" Mizuiro peeked in but decided against disturbing him.

"He's in the middle of negotiations… It'll be a little while longer." Keigo told his friend, somewhat disturbed himself.

"Ah, I see… His tenure with the basketball team is already over?"

"This sucks, Ichigo's gonna stop hanging out with me again."

"You make it sound like he hangs out with you on a regular basis."

"H-h-he does hang out with me!" Keigo retorted. "It's not like I've got nothing to do and constantly show up at his job and bother him or anything!"

"Yeah yeah."

Keigo calmed down after a while. "Was Ichigo always this concerned with money?"

"You know he's saving up money for after he graduates, right?" So he can live on his own."

"Huh? He's gonna move out!?" A shocked Keigo asked.

"Well, I don't know about that." Mizuiro replied. "But whatever the case, his dad doesn't seem like the type to lend him money to do stuff. So I think it's a good idea that he saves up money while he still can."

"That's probably what it is."

"Thank you very much!" "All right! I'm gonna tell the president!" The soccer club members cheered.

"Decided to go to the soccer club huh?" How much're you getting?" Keigo asked Ichigo, who just finished his negotiations.

"It's a secret."

"When do you start?" Mizuiro asked.

Ichigo looked at him for a while before answering.

"Today!"

…

Ichigo, now in his soccer outfit, was doing some warm up exercises, until he was interrupted by Arisawa Tatsuki.

"Huh? What about the basketball club?"

"My contract ended last week, and what about you? What happened to your extra-curricular activities?"

"I've got work, didn't I tell you? I've been a substitute instructor at the dojo since last month."

"Instructor? Damn, I'm glad I quit the dojo. I'd really hate to have to call you sensei."

"How about I make you call me that right now?" Tatsuki taunted.

They talked there for a while, before Tatsuki remembered that she still has work. She rushed away in a hurry, but not before reminding Ichigo that he has work too, and he hadn't called his manager like he's supposed to. He decided to call his manager right away, but was met with a-.

'YOU MORON!" His manager's voice rang through his ears.

"Do you realize what you're saying? You take last week off, come in for one day, and then tell me you're gonna take another week off!?" His manager yelled so loud that he thought he actually felt the air pressure coming from the phone.

"Well I said I'm sorry, didn't I…?" Ichigo attempted to talk reason.

"You think everything will be okay if you say sorry? Just how carefree are you!? Just get down here or I'm gonna fire you!" His manager threatened, but this only sparked an idea for Ichigo.

"Really? Well I guess it was unavoidable." He countered.

"HUH!? Hey, what're you saying, Ichigo-chan…?"

"I'm saying that its only natural for a slack-ass like me to get fired. I'm really sorry, Thanks for supporting me for so long." Ichigo said as he tried to hold back a grin.

"It hasn't been long! Only been 6 months! The fun of working odd jobs is only just beginning! Our adventure can still go on!"

"Thanks for-" Ichigo hung up, and was met by a scream which came from near the school gate. He went to check.

…

"There's someone named Kurosaki at this school right!?"

"Who the hell? Do I know someone so old-fashioned?" Ichigo whispered as he peeked from the side of a building.

The guy kept ranting about how Ichigo beat up one of their guys and something about "got a good look of your face"

"You there! Could you stop this outdated display? You're annoying everyone."

The voice came from none other than Ishida Uryuu. "Get out of here."

"Huh? You supposed to be Kurosaki?" A hoollgan asked.

"What did you say?" Ishida said before quickly knocking out the hooligan.

"What the? Not taking us seriously!?" Another asked.

"That's my line." Ishida said with an irritated tone. "You said you got a good look of his face right? So what part of me resembles Kurosaki?"

"The hell's your problem, four eyes!?" The leader provoked Ishida, who was still calm.

"I take back my previous statement. Don't get out. In fact, none of you will be able to leave." Ishida said arrogantly as he countered with a stronger provocation.

"Damnit! He's gonna make even more trouble!" Ichigo rushed towards Ishida in a n attempt to stop him.

The hooligans all rush towards Ishida but stops short when one of the members' head gets slammed down. The assailant then starts a count.

"I-i-it's him!" One of the hooligans exclaimed out.

…

"Going to pick up Ichigo again, Nozomi?" Kon asked as Nozomi headed towards the stairs.

"Hm? Well, yeah." She answered. "I don't have anything else to do…"

"You know, if you wake up earlier, you can even walk him to school!" Kon exclaimed.

"Why would I want to do that?"Nozomi asked nonchalantly, causing Kon to sigh.

"You never learn…" Kon said disappointedly.

"Whatever. I'm off." Nozomi said as she went down the stairs. The sound of the door being opened and then closed can be heard.

"Those two are hopeless…"

* * *

Hey guys, that's chapter 6. I apologize for the lack of interaction between Ichigo and Nozomi, but I promise there'll be more in the following chapters. Anyway, I'm still not sure whether or not to follow the anime-canon, or the manga-canon. I think I'll do anime, but who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind. Or not. So yeah, thanks for reading! Ja.


	8. Chapter 7

Who owns Bleach? Not me.

* * *

Chapter 7: An Eel Restaurant

* * *

Ichigo's count reaches thirteen when he gets kicked in the back by Ishida.

"The hell!? What was that for!?" Ichigo lashed out,

"Why are you here?" Ishida countered with another question.

"What!? To help you, of course!"

"So it is you! Kurosaki!" The leader stated as he ran towards Ichigo and Ishida. He attempted to attack them but instead gets knocked out instantly by them.

"They came for me! Those not involved shouldn't butt in!" Ichigo argued.

"I just got involved! You're the one butting in!" Ishida countered.

"Involved in a brawl? The student council president shouldn't get involved in things like these!"

The thugs attack them but were easily repelled by both, despite having an argument.

"And you know, what else? You've been hunting Hollows frequently as of late! What if Soul Society notices?"

"It's exterminating! Not hunting! And besides, It's not like I want to! I only go because of the requests from Urahara shop! Urahara-san should be regulating things like how much I go, so there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Did you forget that he was a fugitive from Soul Society until lately?" Ichigo said as he beats up one hooligan.

"Anyway, don't talk about that now! Send an email to my phone later!"

"I don't know your damn address! And when the hell did you get a phone!?"

"Urahara-san gave it to me when I helped out at his shop!" Ishida said as he pulled out a cellphone and showed it to Ichigo.

"Then you probably can't use it like a normal one!" Ichigo replied, obviously distrusting the phone Urahara Kisuke gave to Ishida.

"Kurosaki!" Ichigo heard a voice call out, causing him to pause for a while, before looking back.

"Long time no see… Kurosaki. You do remember me right?" The strange man said, igniting a series of awkward memories in Ichigo.

 _"Yokochin!"_ Ichigo thought. "Nope, I forgot."

"The hell! Stop lying! I almost appeared in your flashback just now! Don't give up!" Yoko-chin said as he held up Ichigo by the collar.

"I don't care. I didn't remember you in the first place. And the fact that you changed your hairstyle doesn't help either. Like hell I'd remember you, don't be conceited." Ichigo scolded him.

"Oh that's funny…" Yoko-chin released his grip on Ichigo's collar. "Right after you kicked my ass, I had to move out because my dad got transferred and now I come back after 4 years and this is what I get…?"

"I don't give a damn about your life story." Ichigo deadpanned, but suddenly Yoko-chin gets kicked in the back and sent flying. Ichigo and Ishida watched awkwardly as the thugs get beaten up by the assailant.

"Looks like you're having a blast… Ichigo-chan." A woman wearing a cap said as she stood on top of the bodies of the thugs.

"Kurosaki, she's addressing you… who is she?" Ishida asked, but was met with silence.

"… Boss…!?"Ichigo said grimly.

"What!?" Ishida exclaimed. Ichigo's boss then spoke up.

"You're always skipping work for crappy reasons. Well, I won't stand for it anymore." She said as she looked up to face Ichigo. "Now be a good boy and let me kidnap you!"

"No way!" Ichigo said as he crossed his arms. But it was futile as he was tied up and put in a van.

"Incredible… she folded up Kurosaki and carried him off in an instant. Who is she…?" Ishida stared in awe at the scene of Ichigo being kidnapped.

"What happened here?" Ishida turned around to see where the voice came from.

"Kujou-san!" Ishida said as Nozomi examined the knocked out thugs.

"Where's Ichigo?" Nozomi instantly asked.

"Kurosaki…" Ishida attempted to say after recalling the events that just transpired. "…got kidnapped."

Nozomi looked at him, more confused than surprised, "…what."

…

"Ow!" Ichigo said as he was tossed on a sofa inside the "Unagi Shop – Odd Jobs Shop". "That hurt! Take this tape off!" He demanded.

"I'll take it off if you promise not to run away!" His boss counter-demanded.

"That totally sounds like a kidnapper's line!" Ichigo retorted but stopped when the phone rang. His boss immediately picked up the phone.

"Hey, thanks for calling! This is the Unagi Shop! Cheap, Fast and Reassuring! From catsitting to missing people!" She greeted but stopped immediately. "HUH? You want two specials? We're not an eel restaurant you idiot! Huh!? Whaddaya mean I said "Unagi Shop"!? That's the name of our business, moron!"

"Hey… I've said it a thousand times already, you should really check the name." Ichigo suggested.

"What!?" His boss said after hanging up the phone. "You're telling me to change the precious name that has been passed down through generations of my family!? Not a chance!"

"That's not what I meant lady. I meant change the business name, not YOUR name."

"Either way, no chance in hell! And call me Ikumi-san, not lady!" She said as she pulled out a bunch of papers and dropped them in front of Ichigo. She then stated out a variety of odd jobs for Ichigo, with him complaining.

"Mooommmyyyy!" A child walked in.

"What's wrong Kaoru-chan?" Said Ikumi, who has now transformed into a perfect loving mother. "Hey, I told you to not go here barefooted!"

"Ah It's Kuro-baka! Why are you here?" He said, striking a nerve in Ichigo. "Hey, don't get too cozy with my mom just because she's a pretty girl!" Kaoru said before being sent away sweetly by Ikumi.

"I'm sorry, he just can't get used to you it seems." Ikumi sighed and apologized. "If you have something to say, please keep it to yourself, for his sake."

"Things I want to say… like how I'm not interested in old ladies?" Ichigo said before being hit by Ikumi. She reprimanded him while taking off the tape when someone suddenly rings at the door.

"A customer?" Ikumi said as she opened up the door. "Yes, come in…"

The customer enters the door, revealing the man who Ichigo helped earlier.

"W-welcome!" Ikumi greeted the man.

"You! You're the guy from the other day!" Ichigo instantly remembered him.

"How about some ramen?" The man offered, holding a bowl of said dish.

"No thanks, we're an eel restaurant." Ichigo once again declined the man's offer.

"The hell we are!" Ikumi commented but was ignored.

…

"Ishida-kuuuun!" Inoue called out to him, causing him and Nozomi to turn around to see Inoie running towards them. "Nozomi-san? You're here too?" Inoue asked, getting a nod as a reply.

"Inoue-san." Ishida said.

"Is it true that Kurosaki-kun got kidnapped?" Inoue questioned with a tone of concern.

"Well… it may have looked that way to bystanders…" Ishida started to explain but was interrupted when Inoue started running away. "Oi! Where are you going!?"

"To rescue Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue yelled as she ran but was quickly stopped by Ishida, who effortlessly caught up to her.

"Hold on!" Ishida said as Inoue calmed herself down. "It's all right, the person who took him was his boss!" He explained as Nozomi walked up to them.

"His boss…?" Nozomi asked.

"That's what Kurosaki said. No mistake about it!"

"It wasn't some weirdo?" Inoue questioned further.

"You could say that she was, but aren't all the people in Kurosaki's life are?" Ishida said.

Inoue finally understood the situation and laughed it off. "I guess so!"

"You said she… his boss was a girl?" Nozomi suddenly asked Ishida, who simply nodded.

"Are you worried, Nozomi-san?" Inoue asked her, who turned away with a frown.

"No, why would I? Let him have fun with his boss, I couldn't care less." Nozomi answered.

"…Nozomi-san… are you perhaps jealous? " Inoue asked, startling Nozomi and causing her to blush.

"What!? No, I'm not!" She lashed out. Inoue giggled while Ishida smiled and pushed up his glasses, further irritating Nozomi.

"But you know, I've been getting a strange feeling from Kurosaki-kun since yesterday. Have you felt anything?" Inoue admitted and asked Ishida and Nozomi.

"Nope. Nothing new. I mean Kurosaki always had an aura of strangeness." Ishida answered before turning to Nozomi. "How about you, Kujou-san?"

"N-no… I haven't."

"I see. Anyway, Inoue-san, you're carrying your bag. Does this mean you're going home?"

Inoue looked confused for a moment before looking at her watch and realizing the time. "Oh, yeah! Now I'm going to get yelled at by my boss! See you later, Ishida-kun! Nozomi-san!" She said as she ran away.

"I guess I'll be going now too. Later." Nozomi said before walking away.

Ishida watched the two girls leave before looking down at the ground in deep thought.

 _"Inoue-san's right. Kurosaki's supposed to have to have lost his spiritual powers, but there's been something strange clinging to him lately. And that… is definitely Reiatsu."_

* * *

Second update today. I'm feeling quite inspired. Thanks for the support! I might be able to pull off a triple update today if I felt like it. Ja ne.


	9. Chapter 8

Who doesn't own Bleach? Me.

* * *

Chapter 8: Ramen

* * *

"Alright, Itadakimasu." The man said and started to eat his ramen.

"Hey." Ichigo called out but there was no response.

"I said "Hey"!" He was still ignored.

"Hey dammit! Why're you eating your ramen here!?" Ichigo yelled at the man, finally getting his attention.

"Well you're not eating it. Itll get stale if I don't." The man replied.

"Then eat it at your place! Why did you come here!? This isn't your personal rest stop! It's mine!"

"Have you been coming here with the mindset that this is a rest stop?" Ikumi asked Ichigo but was paid no attention. "Still, Ichigo has a point. What do you want? Are you a client?" She asked the man.

"Of course I am." The man now had a serious look on his face. "So, bring me some Oolong tea, please,"

"Is Suntory all right?" Ikumi inquired.

"You're actually gonna give it to him?" Ichigo commented.

The man finished his drink after Ikumi brought it, and was immediately questioned by Ichigo.

"So, what do you want with me?"

The man looked him in the eye before answering. "What a strange thing to say. I don't want anything with you. It's a coincidence that I entered this office and met you here." The man paused before continuing. "There I was, looking for a business that would take on a real pain of a job, and this store's sign just happened to catch my eye. And then when I came in, there you were. Just a coincidence." The man finished.

"Oh, really?" Ichigo questioned, still not fully trusting him. "So it's a coincidence that you had some ramen with you?"

"Give it a rest. I just like ramen." The man replied.

"If you're gonna carry it around with you just because you like it, then I'm gonna carry chocolate around with me." Ichigo supplied a witty comeback.

"You like chocolate? How cute." The man teased.

"Don't try and change the subject." Ichigo countered with a look of hostility.

"Well, I can see this isn't going anywhere. I didn't come here to argue with you. Is that chick the boss?" The man asked.

"Chi- yes, yes I am!" Ikumi answered while blushing, earning a look of disdain from Ichigo.

"Mind if I tell you about my request?"

…

Nozomi walked home after the encounter with Ishida and Inoue and failing to meet Ichigo at his school. She entered the house and was met by Isshin.

"Nozomi-chan, my future daughter-in-law! How's it going?" Isshin greeted but was immediately silenced by a stomp on the foot, courtesy of Nozomi.

"Ichigo still isn't home?" Nozomi asked after looking around.

"Hm? Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him. Anyway, I've got to go somewhere so kindly tell that to Ichigo later okay? Bye!" Isshin said before leaving the house.

Nozomi went upstairs and entered Ichigo's room, only to find Kon alone there.

"Nozomi? You're back already? Where's Ichigo?" Kon asked her, who looked down in disappointment.

"I didn't see him."

"Eh? Why don't you try looking around Urahara shop?" Kon suggested.

"Alright. I'll go there now." Nozomi said as she exited the house.

"Wait Nozomi! Take me with… you." Kon attempted to follow but Nozomi was already gone. "Geez, this is so boring."

Nozomi went outside the house but spotted Karin looking around before walking away. Nozomi managed to stay out of sight long enough for Karin to assume she's not being followed.

"Karin? Where is she going?" Nozomi followed her for a while before realizing that the route she took leads to Urahara shop. "Maybe Ichigo really is there."

…

"I'd like you to do a personal investigation." The man said as he put a picture on the table. Ichigo looked at the picture and was greatly shocked upon seeing who was in it. "His name is Kurosaki Isshin." The man said, but instantly noticed Ichigo's reaction.

"What? You know him?" The man asked.

"…are you trying to mess with me?" Ichigo asked, even more hostile than before. "That's my dad! If there's something you wanna know about him then just ask me! I'll tell you whatever you want to know!" Ichigo stood up.

"He's your dad? Now THAT'S a coincidence." The man said, further angering Ichigo.

"What…?" Ichigo attempted to talk, but was beaten by the man.

"But… you'll tell me whatever I want to know?" Do you really know enough to answer my questions?" The man provoked Ichigo once more, albeit in a non-threatening way. "You probably still don't know a thing about your family."

"What the hell… do you mean?"

"I don't think I said anything hard to follow." The man stated. "I asked you… just how much you know about your own family. Don't you wanna know? About that-" He was interrupted by Ikumi slamming her hands on the table.

"All right. I'll hold on to the picture for now. We're closing up for the day. Time for you to go." Ikumi said to the man.

"Hey now, that's pretty sudden. So can I assume you'll take the job then?

"I'll contact you about that after I've thought it over."

"In that case, I'll leave my contact information." The man said as he stood up and headed for the exit but not before giving Ichigo a cryptic message. "Kurosaki. Try heading over to the Urahara shop. You should be able to see something interesting." And with that, the man finally left the office.

…

"Aww… did you fail?" Said a girl on top of a house. "You bought a gift and still got rejected. How embarrassing. That's what you get for being mean and not even showing us that Ichigo guy's face!"

"Indeed" Said a companion of the girl.

"What're you guys doing here…?" The man asked the two. "Riruka, Kutsuzuwa."

"I told you not to follow me." The man told Riruka and Kutsuzuwa.

"What's with ordering us around? I hope you haven't forgotten that we're your partners, not underlings." Riruka complained. "Anyway, you suck at persuasion. Maybe you should've let me talk to him. I'll have him eating from our hands in no time."

"He did persuade us to follow him." Kutsuzuwa commented.

"Put a sock in it, Giriko." Riruka said as she glared at him.

"Shut up you two. They can hear you inside." The man said before walking past his two companions. "Let's go."

…

Nozomi followed Karin, and she indeed went to Urahara shop. _"All right, what's going on?"_ She thought as she watched her enter the shop.

"Well if it isn't… Kurosaki-san." Urahara greeted.

Nozomi went closer to see a better view, while also avoiding attention. She was able to see Urahara handing Karin some things which appear to be for driving away spirits, noticeable from the small amount of Reiatsu emanating from them. She can see Karin talking to Urahara for a while, but couldn't hear them clearly, but she did hear the words "Ichi-Nii", "fighting", and "protect".

Karin exited the shop and looked around before rushing home.

Nozomi attempted to follow her, but immediately stopped after spotting Ichigo nearby, also watching Karin. _"Ichigo, so he was here, after all._ She started to walk towards him but stopped after seeing the man Ichigo helped the other day approach him.

"Karin, what are you doing at Urahara-san's place…?" Ichigo thought out loud and was approached by the man again.

"Concerned? Well that's understandable, your little sister keeps visiting a shady character." The man said.

"He's not a shady character!" Ichigo immediately defended Urahara. "Urahara-san-"

" "…rescued us" ?" The man finished Ichigo's statement. "Just how much have you learned to make you feel like you have this Urahara guy all figured out?"

This shocked Ichigo even further but it was only the tip of the iceberg.

"I'm warning you. Act now while you still can., if you want to protect your family." The man said before starting to walk away.

"…give me your name." Ichigo called out to the man.

"Ginjou… Ginjou Kuugo." The man introduced himself.

"… don't get the wrong idea. This doesn't mean that I trust you yet."

"Of course not." Ginjou stated. "All right, then I'll just give you this." He said and gave Ichigo a black card before leaving.

Ichigo watched him walk away, failing to notice Nozomi approach him.

"Ichigo!" She called out, slightly startling Ichigo.

"Wha- Nozomi? Why are you here?" He immediately asked.

"Nothing, I just passed by."

"Really now?"

"Okay, I lied. I was following Karin." Nozomi admitted after looking away. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's no big deal. I can understand that. She's been acting pretty suspicious lately. I even saw her talking to thin air one time." Ichigo said, unaware that her sister developed her spiritual powers just like he did.

"Oh." Nozomi said before looking back at him. "Anyway, who was that? Isn't he the guy who got robbed the other day?"

"Oh yeah. He said his name was Ginjou Kuugo." Ichigo explained to her. "I've met him a lot today, he says it's just coincidence but I think he's following me."

"Ichigo, don't worry." Nozomi said as she came closer to Ichigo. "I'll protect you. And your family too."

Ichigo smiled at her words. "Heh, you've been stealing my lines a lot."

Nozomi returned his smile while a slight blush formed on her face.

"Hey want to eat something before we go home?" Ichigo invited.

"Okay. How about… ramen?" Nozomi suggested , causing Ichigo to laugh because of the irony, leaving Nozomi dumbstruck.

"Alright."

* * *

Third update today! Thank you really much for the support. It's what drives me to do this much. All right, Ja mata ne.


	10. Chapter 9

I own Reigashi no Aozora.

* * *

Chapter 9: Not Normal

* * *

"Welcome Home, Ichigo!" Yuzu greeted as his brother and Nozomi entered the house. She immediately pulled up a piece of paper and held it in front of Ichigo. "It's the skills test they gave us after school started! I got a 95! That's good right?" She looked at him expectantly.

"That's pretty good Yuzu, nice job! Right, Nozomi?" He said as he ruffled his sister's head.

"Um, yeah." She answered.

"Show that to dad, he'll be thrilled!" Ichigo said as he released Yuzu. "Speaking of dad, where is he?" He asked his sister.

"… I don't know. He's been gone since morning." Yuzu replied.

"Actually, I saw him earlier, but he left the house in a hurry." Nozomi spoke up.

"Really? Did he say where he's going?" Ichigo asked.

"No."

"I see… I'll be in my room."Ichigo said as he headed to the stairs, with Nozomi following shortly.

"Ichigo…" Yuzu sighed. She can easily tell that something is wrong with her brother.

…

"Now where did that idiot go?" Ichigo thought out as he sat in his bed. _"Darn, If I had my powers, then I'd be able to follow his Reiatsu…"_ He thought but quickly reprimanded himself. "Ah, what am I thinking?"

"Ichigo." Nozomi called out as she entered his room.

"Nozomi?" _"That's it! Nozomi can follow his Reiatsu!"_ Ichigo thought as he stood up and held Nozomi on both of her shoulders, causing her to blush.

"Ichigo, w-what are y-you-" Nozomi attempted to speak but was abruptly interrupted when Ichigo leaned closer. Nozomi blushed even harder, and she found herself unable to produce a coherent word.

"Nozomi! I need you!" Ichigo said, not realizing his poor choice of words.

Nozomi was stunned by what she heard. _"Ichigo, what do you mean?"_ She thought, her face completely red as a tomato. Not in control of her own actions, she leaned her face closer as well. _"What am I doing?"_

Their little moment was interrupted however when Inoue called out from outside. "Heeeeyyy! Kurosaki-kuuuunn! Nozomi-saaaannn!"

"That's Inoue… sorry Nozomi, Let's continue this later." Ichigo said as he peeked out the window, leaving Nozomi blushing like mad staring at nothing.

"W-what? Continue what!?" Nozomi complained.

"Oi, Inoue! What's up?" Ichigo called out from his room.

"Bet you could use some bread! I'll give em to you cheap!" Inoue offered while holding a tray full of bread.

…

"We can't eat all this!" Ichigo said as he saw the amount of bread Inoue gave.

"Oh, I guess you couldn't…" A slightly embarrassed Inoue said.

"That's right! There's only four people in my family! Five if you include Nozomi." Ichigo stated. "Well I'll take what you gave though. And why're you fidgeting so much?"

"Well… I didn't think you'd invite me up here…" Inoue shyly looked away.

"What are you talking about? It's not like it's your first time here." Ichigo said.

Nozomi was sitting on Ichigo's bed, still shaken up by the events that just transpired between her and Ichigo. She still had a slight blush and stared at the wall while Ichigo and Inoue argued about the difference of discarded and unsold bread.

"Hey… Kurosaki-kun, did something happen recently?" Inoue asked, causing Nozomi to slightly perk up.

"Not really." Ichigo replied while Nozomi exhibited a murderous aura. "Nozomi, are you alright?"

"Go die, you useless perverted idiot." She glared at him viciously.

"Geez, what's gotten over you… Anyway Inoue, why ask?"

"Huh? Well… a hunch, I guess. I was wondering if you're in some kind of trouble… like being followed or something." Inoue answered.

"Followed around? You're more of the type to get followed around!"

"Well I guess I was mistaken. And no I don't get followed around!"

…

Ishida was walking down the streets slowly, still in deep thought after the discussion with Inoue. _"I guess she beat me to the punch. Inoue-san, I hope you're able to sound out the true nature of this feeling. But this is Kurosaki we're talking about. It may be easier to get him to talk using a roundabout manner than direct confrontation. I suppose I'll investigate the town should Inoue-san fail to figure it out."_ Ishida's train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted upon seeing someone walking on top of the roofs while reading a book. _"Who's that?"_

Just as he noticed, the man suddenly disappears, leaving a cloud of dust in the air.

 _"Running away?"_ Ishida thought as he gave chase to the mysterious man. _"He's fast! This speed isn't human! And I can't see any spirit particle fluctuations around him, so Shunpou is out of the question! What on Earth is he using to accelerate like that!?"_

Ishida continued the chase but was forced to stop when the man steps on a telephone pole and disappears, leaving a strange light behind.

 _"What is that light?"_ Ishida thought but was interrupted when the man suddenly dashes in front of him. _"Oh shi-!"_

A quick slashing sound echoed through the streets and Ishida was left lying down the ground on a pool of blood.

…

"Dad's still not home yet… Where could he be?" Ichigo said while deciding to examine the card Ginjou gave him earlier. The card had the words "Welcome to our Xcution." on it. He then hears a noise from nearby and decides to check it out.

…

Inoue was now at her apartment, pondering about her encounter with Ichigo and Nozomi. "I guess those two got into a fight or something…" She wondered why Nozomi was hostile towards Ichigo. "But he's so nice to let me in his room just like that! No wonder Nozomi-san likes him! Wait… does she?" She thought out loud as she placed her stuff on the table. "Well living together like that for over a year… I'm surprised they still aren't going out… I mean it's quite obvious that they like each other."

"But it really seemed that Kurosaki-kun is hiding something…" She then heard her phone ringing, which startled her for a bit. "Wonder who's calling me at this hour…"

Inoue stood up to check the phone and find out that Ishida is the one calling. "Hello? What's up Ishida-kun? … Yes… um… What!?"

…

Back at the Kurosaki clinic, Yuzu and Karin were eating dinner, while Nozomi was watching tv, already finished eating.

"Hey Yuzu, where's Ichi-Nii?" Karin asked her.

"Upstairs. Said he'll eat later." Yuzu replied nonchalantly.

"Teenage boys are gross, total pervs."

"Karin-chan! Don't talk dirty during meal time! And Ichigo isn't like that!" Yuzu defended.

"Okay okay, but don't you think it's time to let go of your weird delusions about Ichi-Nii? He's just a normal guy now, not an anime character or whatever." Karin lectured, but this only angered Yuzu and she stormed off.

"I never thought like that! But I don't care!" Yuzu said as she ran upstairs.

"Man, I guess Ichi-Nii's been mean again. Gonna have to ask him to apologize later." Karin said as she cleaned up the dishes, but heard footsteps rushing down the stairs. "Yuzu?"

She checked but saw Ichigo running down and quickly leaving the house, catching Nozomi's attention.

"Ichi-Nii!?" Karin said in surprise.

"Where are you going? Ichigo!" Nozomi tried to chase down Ichigo but stopped after reaching the door. "What… happened…?"

…

"Ishida!" Ichigo called out after entering a patient's room in Karakura Hospital.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue said as soon as Ichigo came in.

"Inoue? Here already? What about Chad?"

"I told you, he didn't pick up. I think he's still at work, given the time."

"… You even called Kurosaki…? Honestly, you always take things too far." Ishida suddenly said, who was lying on a bed behind the curtains.

"…Ishida…" Ichigo said with a concerned tone. Just then, Ishida's father, Ryuuken, entered the room.

"Taking things too far? At least your mouth still works." Ryuuken said.

"I'm not supposed to have visitors. What will you do if my condition worsens because you let people barge in here?" Ishida retorted.

"Are you stupid? Who do you think performed the surgery? Something minor like that won't aggravate your injuries. Novices who get slashed up by their enemy and nearly die shouldn't be telling their doctor to do this and that." Ryuuken won the argument.

"What's he talking about, Ishida?" Ichigo asked.

"… none of your business…" Ishida answered coldly.

"The hell it isn't!" Ichigo lashed out. "You got your ass handed to you! If you couldn't handle it alone then we work together, right?" Ichigo angrily reprimanded him, but there was no answer. "Say something!"

"It's important to share information, you know? Do you intend to waste the kindness I've shown you?"

"You shut the hell up!" Ishida yelled at them, but winced in pain and settled down.

"Woah. That was close. Another 5 hertz louder and your stitches would've opened up." Ryuuken commented.

"Ishida-kun…" A worried Inoue looked at him, and so did Ichigo.

"Sorry, Inoue-san… I really can't tell you anything right now… could you please go home?" Ishida requested, to which they both complied.

"Alright, I'll take Inoue-san home in my car. You be careful now, Kurosaki-san." Ryuuken said as she approached Inoue.

"Okay, thank you." Ichigo said as he left the hospital.

"See you at school tomorrow Kurosaki-kun! And say hi to Nozomi-san for me" Inoue yelled out.

"Hey, don't yell in the hospital." Ryuuken reprimanded her.

"Oh, sorry." Inoue said before childishly covering her mouth.

"… There doesn't seem to be anything he can do to help so I'll tell you this." Ryuuken stated, causing Inoue to look at him in a confused state.

"It wasn't a Hollow that attacked Uryuu."

* * *

Fourth Chapter today! I made it in time! As always, thanks for reading my story! Okay, Ja.


	11. Chapter 10

I don't own Bleach.

* * *

Chapter 10: Xcution

* * *

"It wasn't a Hollow that slashed Uryuu."

Ryuuken's words took a while before sinking into Inoue.

 _"…Not a hollow…? Then what? It couldn't have been Shinigami, could it?"_ She thought as she attempted to figure out what's going on.

"But it wasn't a Shinigami either, of course… I examined the residual Reiatsu in his wound…" Ryuuken stated, clearing Inoue's previous doubts. "And honestly… It's doubtful it should be even referred to as Reiatsu… I've never encountered that type before."

"So that means…" Inoue attempted to speak but was interrupted.

"Don't ask anymore. I've told you everything I know." Ryuuken paused for a moment before continuing. "Uryuu was also most likely unable to discern anything about his assailant. So it's that he's not telling you two anything… It's that he can't."

"Oh no…"

"… this is just a guess… but this enemy… may be human." Ryuuken dropped the bomb, causing great unrest to Inoue. He continued his explanation. "A human who has obtained some kind of power we're not familiar with. Which would make them more closely related to you and Sado-kun than a Shinigami. Broadly speaking, Uryuu, as a Quincy, is probably also in that group. Assuming that Uryuu was attacked because he's similar in nature to the assailant… Then the next victim… will either be you or Sado-kun."

…

Ichigo ran through the dark streets, holding back his frustration. Not because he thinks his friends are keeping something from him, it's that they DO. He stopped after a while and leaned on a pole.

"What's going on!? Something's going on behind my back!" Ichigo released his anger out but it wasn't enough. "Isn't… Isn't there something I can do!?"

Ichigo paused for a while and came to a decision. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The phone rang for a while before someone answered.

 **"Hello, you have reached Xcution."** The person on the other line answered. **"This number is not registered. Are you a new member? Please state your name."**

Ichigo produced silence for a while before answering. "… Kurosaki Ichigo…"

 **"Kurosaki Ichigo-sama. We are already aware of you. Welcome to Xcution. Now then, Kurosaki Ichigo-sama, please hang up the phone."** The speaker instructed.

"…Huh?" Ichigo was confused by this, but the speaker gave out more instructions before he could complain.

 **"After hanging up, please dial this number again followed by the number 00800, and then hang up before the call starts. After that, call the same number again, and hang up as soon as the phone finished ringing. On the third call, you will be connected directly to Ginjou Kuugo-sama."**

Ichigo hesitated for a while, before following the given instructions. After completing the procedures, he finally reaches Ginjou.

"… That was a real pain." Ichigo complained as Ginjou greeted from the other line.

 **"Oh let it go, It'd be a pain for me if I didn't do that."**

"There's something I want to talk to you about." Ichigo directly stated.

 **"I'm sure there is. Otherwise, you wouldn't be calling me, right?"**

Ichigo didn't get to reply before Ginjou's next words.

 **"But this is too short notice. How about tomorrow? At 2000 hours. There's a derelict apartment building in district 7-1-1 of Choubara in Narusaki city. Come to the front of it. I'll listen to what you have to say there."**

Ichigo, slightly surprised at Ginjou's sudden hospitality, attempted to speak up but was once again interrupted.

 **"… and relax. I think I can help you out."**

…

The next morning, Ichigo was at school, deep in thought because of the previous events. How Ishida was attacked and how his friends seem to distrust him because of his lack of powers.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue called out, slightly startling Ichigo before he turned around. "Hey, do you know anything about Sado-kun?" She asked in a confusing manner.

"That's a pretty broad question. Do I know anything? Anything about what?" He asked.

"His condition!"

"… did he catch a cold?" Ichigo asked again, completely failing to understand Inoue.

"Oh I guess you didn't know. I went to his class earlier to tell him about Ishida-kun, but seems like he hasn't been in class lately." Inoue stated, shocking Ichigo and sending him into deep thought again.

 _"What? Didn't I just talk to him the other day? What the hell is going on here!?"_ Ichigo thought, completely ignoring Inoue's words.

"Um… if you like, you're welco-"

"Sorry, I've got some stuff to do." Ichigo said as he started to walk away.

"Oh okay. I'll just report to you if I find out about something!"

"Sure, thanks." Ichigo continued on his way, obviously concerned about Chad's safety.

…

Nozomi was spending some time in her room, still in thought about what happened between her and Ichigo yesterday. She heard some noises from outside as she lay down in bed, and decided to check it out. She peeked from upstairs and saw Ichigo sneaking out again

 _"Ichigo! He's slipping out again!"_. Nozomi thought as she decided to follow Ichigo to finally find out what he's hiding. _"Gh, he's fast!"_ She had difficulty keeping up with him and avoiding being spotted. Things didn't make it easier when Ichigo started running faster.

 _"I can't catch up. I'll lose him at this rate! I guess I have to."_ Nozomi thought as she changed to her Shinigami form and headed to the roofs to get a better view.

Ichigo finally slowed down after reaching Choubara, causing Nozomi to hide behind a pole, despite the fact that Ichigo can't see spirits at the moment.

"… A derelict apartment building… I guess this is the place." Ichigo said as he catched his breath for a while.

"Yo." Ginjou appeared behind him and called out, greatly shocking Nozomi.

 _"What? It's that man again! What's Ichigo doing meeting up with him?"_ Nozomi thought in surprise.

"5 minutes early, how professional." Ginjou commented.

"3, actually."

"So, what'd you want to talk to me about?"

"A buddy of mine got his ass kicked."

"And?"

"I want you to give me a hand."

"Searching for the culprit? But I thought you didn't trust me?"

"You know about me and my dad… So you're probably not a normal human."

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"It's not that I trust you. But I-"

"Don't have anyone else to turn to?" Ginjou finished Ichigo's statement again. "All right, follow me."

Ginjou led Ichigo inside the building, but before he himself entered, he faced in the direction Nozomi was hiding and made an unsettling smile.

 _"Wha- He can see me? But how?"_ Nozomi thought before attempting to follow them, but sensed two people with a high level of Reiatsu coming from a distance.

"I don't believe it!" A female voice said. "The nerve, sleeping in a place like that!"

"… sorry." Her companion apologized, his low and raspy voice instantly being recognized by Nozomi.

 _"What? That voice…!"_ She thought as the two figures came closer.

"Oh don't give me that sorry crap!" The female voice reprimanded. "I had to come look for you, think about how I feel!" The girl paused for a while before continuing. "Oh , now that I think about it, why did Ginjou make me come look for you? He should've come himself!"

 _"Ginjou…? That's the name of the man Ichigo was talking to!"_

"Hey! Wait just a minute! How about saying something! It's your fault I'm in such a bad mood! Hey! I know you're thinking something! So say it!" The girl demanded.

"I was just thinking that you're pretty good at carrying on by yourse-" The man attempted to speak but was stopped when he was apparently hit.

 _"They're coming!"_ Nozomi thought as the figures came closer. She immediately moves away to avoid being caught. She took another glance at the two figures, but was frozen upon seeing who the man was.

...

Ginjou led Ichigo in the building and they both entered the elevator.

"Truthfully, I'd like to ask you to put this off after you've taken care of my request, though." Ginjou opened up a conversation.

"You mean the thing about my dad? … I haven't seen him since then… But I'm sure I can look into-"

"It was a joke." Ginjou interrupted. You don't have to look into it. That was just to pique your curiosity."

Ichigo was surprised but failed to complain when the elevator's door opened.

"We're here." Ginjou said as he led Ichigo to a door with a swiper. "Swipe your card here."

Ichigo did as told, opening the door and revealing a giant bar-like room. The room's inhabitants all looked at Ichigo upon his entrance, and he returned their looks.

"Why is it so big in here?" Ichigo asked, who was immediately answered.

"We knocked down the walls of 5 apartments and took out the floors of 3. We have some members with money." Ginjou stated and paused for a while before turning to face Ichigo, indicating the start of a serious matter.

"So, before we get down to business, let me tell you about our objective first." Ginjou started.

"… your objective…?"

"Yeah, our reason for getting close to you." Ginjou stated before pausing for a while. He continued after a while.

"Our objective… is to restore your Shinigami powers."

* * *

To those who've been reading my story up to this far, thanks a lot guys. I'll be posting the next chapter later if I can finish it so stay tuned. Ja ne.


	12. Chapter 11

*Insert disclaimer here*

* * *

Chapter 11: Soul

* * *

"Huh?" Ichigo said in disbelief after hearing Ginjou's words.

"What? I didn't say anything hard to hear, did I?" Ginjou replied, further confusing Ichigo. "I said that our objective is to restore your powers."

"H… How are you gonna do that!?" Ichigo demanded an answer. "Why would you do something like that for me!? Just what the hell are you after!? Who the hell are you!?" Ichigo clenched his fist in frustration, but was held by Ginjou.

"Calm down." Ginjou said. "There's no way I can answer all of that at once. So have a seat." He offered to Ichigo. "The night is long, I'm gonna give you the story nice and slow."

They both sat down on the sofa, facing each other. Ichigo still had a look of hostility on his face, so Ginjou decided to find a way to ease him.

"… want something to drink?" Ginjou offered, but only caused Ichigo to direct his hostile look at him. "What's with that face? I can't give a kid alcohol. And you don't drink right?" He said. "Ask for anything, There's no menu but we've got almost everything."

"I don't want anything." Ichigo replied, looking down at the ground."

"Alright, bring him an orange juice." Ginjou said to Giriko.

Ginjou faced towards Ichigo after that and started his explanation. "We… are humans." He revealed, changing the look on Ichigo's face. "Of course, we're not "normal", just like you said. We're humans who were born possessing a special innate ability."

"… A special ability?" Ichigo asked, still not fully grasping what Ginjou said.

"… it'd be faster to show you." Ginjou said as he corrected his slacking position.

Giriko put two glasses of orange juice and on the table. Ginjou touched the base of his glass, and small sparkes of light could be seen.

 _"What… is that?"_ Ichigo thought as he watched carefully.

Ginjou moved his hand slightly, causing the contents of the glass to float directly into his mouth, leaving Ichigo dumbfounded.

"… what I did there was draw out the "soul" of the "liquid in the glass" and make it assist me in drinking. Ichigo still confused, Ginjou continued. "Our ability… is to draw out and utilize the soul that resides in all matter."

Ichigo still couldn't fully comprehend, so Ginjou intervened.

"That look on your face says you don't get it. Did you think that only living things had souls? Every single thing in this world has a soul. Not just plants and animals. The size of the soul may be small, but everything has one. Whether it's a chair or a pole or a drinking glass."

Thanks to Ginjou's explanation, Ichigo slowly understood what he meant. But still, it was all too much to comprehend in a single moment.

"Ever felt like you can exhibit a higher-than-normal level of ability when using a tool that you're used to? That means you understand the soul of that tool. The souls in things are inherently endowed with the power to help the person using them. Our ability can enhance that power by drawing it out and boosting it with our souls." Ginjou explained in the simplest way possible.

"For example, we can jump higher by drawing out the soul of the asphalt and supplementing its elasticity. We can make liquid plunge into our mouths, just like what I did. Or we can make water support our feet and allow us to stand on top of it. Also, if we've got an affinity with the tool and are used to using it, we can even change its very shape."

Ginjou finished his length explanation. He pulled out his necklace. "For instance, in my case there's this necklace." He said as he held the necklace out. "Watch."

Ichigo was struck with surprise when the necklace changed into a large broadsword easily taller than Ginjou in his sitting position.

"Wha-?"

"… kinda like this. We call this abilty… **Fullbring**."

Before Ichigo can fully take in the concept of Fullbring, the door slammed open.

"I'm Baaacckkk!" Riruka entered the room.

"You're back early, did you find him?" Ginjou asked her, who struggled to see where he was.

"Yeah, I found him! Hey, that shiny thing is a sword right!? Why'd you bring that out, stupid!? And it's dark! Increase the light now! I can't see anything!" Riruka answered. Scolded and complained while shouting.

"I don't plan on increasing the light. Put your glasses on." Ginjou commented.

"I hate wearing glasses! But I hate wearing contacts more! I have big eyes, so contacts will dry them out really fast!" Riruka said, pointing at a wall.

"I'm not listening."

"Who's the loud one?" Ichigo asked.

"Dokugamine Riruka… she's one of us." Ginjou answered as Riruka found where the voice came from.

"Huh? Who're you calling loud!? Who are you!?" She interrogated. Correction, she interrogated the table.

"I'll explain later. Bring him in." Ginjou ordered.

"… the hell… acting like you're the boss." Riruka complained but still complied. "Hey! Get in here!" She turned to the door, and surprisingly, she faced the right direction.

"…okay." Came a low and masculine voice, instantly causing Ichigo to turn upon realizing the familiarity of the voice. The man came in, instantly being identified by Ichigo as Sado Yasutora, one of his best friends.

"Chad!?" Ichigo stood up in shock.

"… Ichigo…?"

"What the hell are you doing here!? You've been skipping school so why're you-" Ichigo demanded answers, but was stopped by Ginjou.

"Calm down, Ichigo."

"Like hell I could be calm about this!" Ichigo lashed out. "Tell me what's going on, Ginjou! Depending on your answer-" He was once again interrupted by Ginjou, who held him on the shoulder.

"Calm down. Don't make me say it a third time." Ginjou was now serious. His aura alone made Ichigo calm down. "You'll understand when you finish hearing what I have to say. Now sit down. You too, Chad." He ordered, to which they both complied.

"They know each other? I didn't know that!" Riruka commented, but was ignored. "Ginjou, were you aware of this? I couldn't possibly be the only one who didn't know, right!?" She added.

"Bring Chad something to drink too." Ginjou said to Giriko.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me!?" Riruka complained but was once again ignored. "Wait, is the Ichigo over there Kurosaki Ichigo!? Make it brighter in here! I can't see his face!" She tried to approach Ichigo but was stopped by Ginjou.

"Later. You stay right there." Ginjou ordered.

"Why!?"

"Now that we're all here…" Ginjou turned around to Ichigo and Chad. "How about we move on to the main topic?"

"In that case…" Giriko interrupted. "Before you begin, Ginjou-san… Could you put your sword away, please?"

"Yeah, sure." Ginjou replied as his sword returned to being a necklace.

"And please pay for the damages to the floor tiles later." Giriko added.

"Yeah, sure." Ginjou said in a irritated tone. He sat down, immediately noticing Ichigo staring at him, still with hostility. "Don't glare at me like that. Do you understand our power, now that you've seen it with your own eyes?"

"… yeah." Ichigo answered.

"Good. Then let's move on." Ginjou stated and paused for a while. "Do you know why Hollows have a hole in their chest?"

"What are you talking about?"

"When a Shinigami is unable to save them from suffering, they lose their heart and a hole opens up. That's obvious." Ginjou started another explanation. "But where does that lost heart go?"

Ichigo attempts to find an answer, but is unable to come up with one. Ginjou, taking his cue, continued.

"It becomes their mask." He answered his own question. "And not just their mask. A Hollow's unique appearance, as well as their special abilities, are all made from the heart that has been gouged out of their bodies."

Ginjou stopped for a while, letting Ichigo comprehend the information first before continuing.

"… Every one of us had parents that were atteacked by Hollows before we were born." Ginjou added, surprising Ichigo once more. "Traces of those Hollows' power remained in our mothers' bodies. And when we were born, the power within us, was more akin to a Hollow's than to a Shinigami's.'

"We find this power trouble-some." Ginjou admitted. "Ichigo, you once had Hollow powers, so I'm sure you know how it feels."

Ginjou's words struck Ichigo hard, causing him to remember the times he lost control to his inner Hollow. He looked away as Ginjou continued.

"We would like to eliminate this troublesome power within us." Ginjou revealed, somewhat surprising Ichigo. "Over the years, little by little, we've gathered allies who possess the same kind of power. And in doing so, we have uncovered one fact: Our powers are the exact opposite of us. In other words, If there is someone who have the powers of both Shinigami and human, then we can pass our power on to them."

"Then that means…!" Ichigo stood up because of this sudden revelation.

"… that at one time, there was someone other than you who was born of a Shinigami and human. By surrendering their powers to that person, a few of our kind were able to return to being a normal human."

"So basically, for you to return to being normal, I need to regain my powers?" Ichigo asked, which was answered by a nod.

"As for Chad." Ginjou stated. "We found him in the town. He understands how we feel and even volunteered to work with us if it meant restoring your powers."

"Chad, is this true?" Ichigo turned to Chad.

"… yeah." Chad answered. "Ichigo, you may think you're hiding it, but to be honest, you've been a sad sight ever since you lost your powers."

Ichigo attempted to retaliate with words, but as usual, was interrupted.

"You want to fight, right? Not being able to personally protect the people around you, really gets to you right? You don't have to hide it, Ichigo. Because feeling that way makes you who you are."

"You'll get your powers back, and our powers will be tacked on to them. If it's the power to fight that you want, then I don't think that's such a bad deal." Ginjou stated, immediately catching the attention of Ichigo.

"All right… I'm in." Ichigo answered.

"I guess that settles it then!"

"Great! I was afraid you might refuse!" A tall lady stated after sighing in relief.

"We look forward to working with you, Kurosaki-san." Giriko commented, while another member just sat down playing video games.

"Not so fast!" Riruka intervened. "Can we really trust someone we don't know anything about so easily!? I, Riruka-sama, will decide whether or not we can trust him!" She exclaimed as he pulled out a flashlight and flashed it at Ichigo.

The sudden light caused Ichigo to close one of his eyes and slightly turn away, but his other eye still looking at the source of the light.

 _"He's so hot!"_ Riruka said as she slumped down to the floor, defeated.

"Hey, you alright?" Ichigo asked.

"… n… not at all…" She replied, still on the floor and blushing.

…

Nozomi was still waiting outside for Ichigo. It's been almost an hour now since they entered the building and he still hasn't returned.

"What could be taking them so long…?" Nozomi said as she looked for an open window or at least a transparent one.

She found one on the back side and peeked in, careful not to make any noise and attract attention.

 _"Isn't that… Sado?"_ She thought as she saw him inside. She scanned the room more and to her surprise, she spotted Ichigo, and a blushing girl slumped down in front of him.

" _What the hell?"_

* * *

Wow, this is a long one. I blame Ginjou for his lengthy explanations. Anyway, thanks for reading! Ja ne.


	13. Chapter 12

Do I even have to?

* * *

Chapter 12: Fall out

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo walked along the dark streets. Xcution, Fullbring, Chad, a lot has happened. It was very late by now, and he was walking fast. His house was right around the corner but was stopped after seeing a certain green haired girl standing in front of him, arms crossed and glaring at him.

"Nozomi…?"

"Ichigo… mind telling me where you were?" Nozomi directly asked him.

"Uhh… I just took care of something." He lied, and of course, it didn't work.

"Stop lying!" She demanded.

"I'm not-" He attempted to defend, but stopped when Nozomi's glare intensified. "Alright."

"Well?"

"Remember Ginjou Kuugo?"

"Yeah, what about him?" Nozomi said in an I-don't-care tone. "Look Ichigo, you need to stop meeting up with him."

"What? Why should I do that?"

"I don't trust him."

"I don't too but I have no choice!"

"And why is that?"

"Well he said he was gonna restore my powers with the help of his friends, including Chad." He explained, although it was extremely lacking in detail.

"Ichigo, don't believe him. I'm sure there's more to them than what they seem."

"What would make you say that?"

"I followed you earlier." She confessed.

"Oh, then what was the point of asking where I went!?"

"Shut up. As I was saying, after he let you in, he looked at me. Even though I'm in my Shinigami form, he saw me."

"Well that's because they aren't ordinary humans!"

"Who cares? Listen Ichigo, you have to stop this." She ordered, although it was paid no heed.

"What if I don't?" Ichigo challenged.

"Why are you being so stubborn!? Can't you see I'm only trying to protect you?" She said, holding back some tears.

"Look, I'm not doing anything bad alright? I was just helping out! They said they wanna get rid of their powers, and I need mine back!" Ichigo answered.

"Oho, I suppose that explains why that girl was slumped down in front of you and was as red as a tomato!" She involuntarily said, but she didn't care.

"What are you talking about? I don't get what you're saying!"

"Stop denying it! You say you're helping out but in reality, you're being all cozy with some girl!" Nozomi now lost all control of her emotions and she let it all out.

"What the hell!? I wasn't! And why on earth are you so mad!? Since when did I give you permission to interfere with my life!?" Ichigo said by accident. _"Oh crap, what did I just say!?"_

Nozomi just looked him in the eyes after that, her own eyes reflecting how hurt she was from Ichigo's words. Without her knowing, tears streamed down her cheeks and fell to the ground.

"Nozomi… I-" Ichigo attempted to apologize but was met by a slap on the cheek. He expected it, he knew it was coming, but it still hurt.

"I like you, alright!?" Nozomi shouted in between sobs, completely destroying Ichigo's ability to talk. "I tried to tell you! Many times, I tried to express how I feel! But I couldn't! I couldn't…"

"Nozomi… Listen to m-"

"But I was fine with it you know? I was fine always being around you! It was more than I could ask for! But the way you've been acting lately… It's like you don't even trust me anymore! You're making yourself the biggest jerk you ever can! Do you know how that hurts!?"

"Nozomi… I didn't mean to… please…. listen to me." He reached out his hands but it was slapped away by Nozomi.

"… don't ever talk to me again." She said as she walked away, leaving Ichigo alone. The streetlight illuminating the sidewalks going out.

"… how cliché…" He said as he returned home slowly. He went upstairs and headed towards Nozomi's room. He knocked at the door.

"Nozomi are you there?" He called out. There was no response but he could hear some ruffling, indicating she was inside.

"Nozomi, I understand if you don't want to talk… but please just listen to me." Ichigo waited in silence before speaking again.

"Look, I didn't mean to say those things. I was just… tired. Please, I'm so sorry. I'd never say those on purpose, you're too important to me." Ichigo said but there was still no response.

"I know I was wrong to trust that easily, but please understand that what I'm doing is for your sake too. As a man, it hurts my pride to be the one constantly being protected. That's why I need my powers back. I want to protect you too."

Ichigo said as more silence deafened him, but he could hear quiet sobs from inside the room.

"Nozomi… good night." Ichigo said as he walked back to his room.

…

The clock read "1:56". Nozomi was still awake. She remembers how she just confessed her feelings to Ichigo, but the circumstances were screwed up. She got up from bed and walked into Ichigo's room, who was now sleeping.

"Ichigo… I like you so much… I like you so much it hurts." Nozomi whispered as she inspected Ichigo's sleeping form.

Upon further inspection, she saw small teardrops forming in Ichigo's eye.

"Nozomi…" He said in his sleep, slightly startling her, but not enough to wake him, or Kon in that matter. "I like you too…" He blurted out, causing Nozomi's eyes to brighten up. "… please forgive me."

She smiled as she straightened up and returned to her room.

"Not a chance, you idiot."

…

The next day, in Xcution hideout, an annoyed Ichigo entered the room. Irritated that he had to be called in so early, on top of last night's events putting him in a very bad mood.

"So, why did you call me out again?" He asked.

"The hell? Got a problem? For being so pissed, you showed up here obediently enough." Ginjou said.

"Shut up." He replied. "I'm gonna do something to regain my powers right? I totally thought I'm gonna train in big room or something."

"Oh, you're gonna! Gonna train in a big room somewhere!" Said Riruka, who entered the room holding a dollhouse.

"How come you're always late?" Ichigo asked.

"Huh? D-don't be stupid! I've got stuff to do you know!?"

"Huh…"

"Anyway, why're you just standing there? I'm gonna explain this so come over here!" She ordered.

"Okay, okay. Why're you getting mad at me…?

Ichigo took one step closer but was immediately stopped by Riruka.

"Wait! Where you are is just fine! Don't take another step closer!" she said while blushing.

"So which is it already…?" Ichigo remarked in an annoyed tone.

"Take a look at this box!"

"I'm looking at it."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"It's cute right?"

"Huh?"

"Rejoice! This cute box will be your training ground!" Riruka proudly said as Ichigo looked on confused.

"…huh?"

* * *

Done. I'll try updating again in a few hours so yeah. Ja.


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer

* * *

Chapter 13: Pride

* * *

"Kujou-san!" Nozomi turned around to see Chad walking towards her.

"Sado…" She said as Chad reached her. "Do you know where Ichigo is?"

"Yes, I do." Chad answered before his phone rang. "Excuse me."

Chad answered the phone and immediately asked. "Is Ichigo there…? … What!?" He said in shock as he hung up, "This is bad! They're making Ichigo do Fullbring training already!"

"Fullbring…?" Nozomi asked.

"I'll explain on the way! Right now, we have to hurry!" Chad ran but stopped upon seeing Nozomi not moving and looking at the ground. "Kujou-san!"

"I…"

"No time for that now! Ichigo might be in danger!" Chad said as he continued to run. "Let's go!"

"R-right!"

…

"You don't have to understand, cause I'm gonna show you right now!" Riruka said to a perplexed Ichigo. "My Fullbring is called **Dollhouse!** It allows me to freely move people and things in and out of anything I adore or think is cute."

She flicks her finger and a red heart appeared, which flew and stuck to Ichigo's jacket. "That is your pass. Okay you can go inside now. I permit you" Riruka said as she opened up the roof of the dollhouse.

"What are you talking ab-" Ichigo attempted to ask but was sucked into the dollhouse. He coughed and dusted himself after regaining orientation. "Ow, what the hell was that?"

Ichigo stood up and saw a giant pig doll. "… Hey now…"

"Well isn't he cute?" Riruka asked, peeking through the dollhouse's roof.

"Isn't he cute my foot! What the hell is that!?" Ichigo yelled at her.

"Defeat it!"

"Huh!?"

"I said fight and defeat it! He's not that strong so it should be easy!" Riruka said. "If you can use Fullbring that is!"

Ichigo asked her again when suddenly, the pig doll stands up and approaches him. Ichigo and the doll then screams at each other. The doll raises its arms and slams it on Ichigo, who manages to evade.

"This is pathetic! Why're you running!? You're a man aren't you? Stand and fight!" Riruka commented.

"You little… I don't even know what's going on!" Ichigo replied "Why did I get small? And why am I in this dollhouse!?"

"I told you, that's my Fullbring, **Dollhouse.** " Riruka answered. "Fullbring is an ability of love! It's the ability to draw out the maximum power of anything you fall in love with!" She further explained. "Ginjou only likes his pendant. People like him who only like one thing change it into a weapon and fight eensy-weensy battles!"

Ichigo focused on dodging the doll's attacks, completely ignoring Riruka's rantings. It took a while before she finished.

"Don't be such a scaredycat! It's okay! You can easily defeat him with Fullbring! Go on!"

"Don't ''go on'' me! Why do I even need to learn Fullbring!?" Ichigo complained as he dodged another attack.

"Oh, you're a pretty good dodger…" Riruka side-commented.

"Shut up! Give me a hint instead!"

"We've been Fullbringers since birth. I don't know any tricks. What a moron. Morooooonnn."

Ichigo cursed internally but suddenly, he heard a creepy voice groan.

"… hey, get it together, punk." Ichigo turned around to see who produced the voice only to find out that it was none other than the doll. "Quit running around and bring it on!"

"Whaaaaa? It can talk!?"

"It sure can! That's because Mr. Pork there has a Yakuza that I abducted from the neighborhood inside!" Riruka proudly revealed.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? And Mr. Pork? Where's the love in that!?"

"You know…" Mr. Pork interrupted. "They said if I don't kill you within 15 minutes… then this thing will become permanent and I'll be stuck in this weird plushie forever!"

"What do you mean weird?" Riruka lashed out as she chopped Mr. Pork on the head. "Okay, that concludes the advice! Call me when you're finished!" She said before returning the roof and closing in the dollhouse.

"Hold it you bastard! I'm gonna kill you!" Mr. Pork yelled as he chases Ichigo.

 _"Damn, I guess she isn't planning to help me out. Well it's no use just running, I gotta think of something fast!"_ Ichigo thought as he dodged another attack. _"She said Fulbring is an ability of love. The ability to draw out the maximum power of something you love. But frankly, it doesn't seem that Ginjou is in love with his pendant… Then that means, for me to able to use Fullbring, I need something, at the very least, something that's always been with me… what should I use?"_ Ichigo thought as he noticed the thing in his pocket.

Riruka, who was eating desserts, observed the dollhouse carefully.

"Why don't you help him if you're that concerned?" Jackie asked her, startling Riruka so much that she nearly jumps.

"I-I'm not concerned at all! If he dies, then that just means he wasn't worth it in the first place!" She replied defensively.

"Oh I see…" Jackie said. "But you know, Riruka, are you sure about this? You outfitted that stuffed animal with a timer right?" And the 15 minutes… are already over."

Riruka looked at the dollhouse for a while, but Chad and Nozomi suddenly barge in the room, startling everyone inside.

 _"The girl from last night!"_ Nozomi thought as she saw Riruka.

"Chad! Who's that?" Riruka asked him, and then looked at Nozomi, causing her to look away.

"I'll explain later! Where's Ichigo!? Why're you making him do Fullbring training already?" Chad asked as he looked around frantically.

"Huh? He's in that dollhouse. And what do you mean by already!? It's better to train him sooner!" Riruka answered.

As expected, Chad and Nozomi rush towards the dollhouse and open the roof, immediately seeing a miniature Ichigo running from Mr. Pork.

"Ichigo!" Nozomi called out, full of concern.

"The Substitute Shinigami badge!" Chad shouted out. "There might be something else you always have in your person, but if you're gonna get a Fullbring for fighting, then I can't imagine anything else that would be a better trigger for that!"

"Nozomi! Chad!" Ichigo greeted as he ran. "You know, I've been thinking the same thing!" He said as he pulled out his badge from his pocket.

 **"15 minutes have passed."** A strange voice was emitted from Mr. Pork. **"In accordance with the conditions, no manifestation of Fullbring was recognized within 15 minutes. And as such, Crazed Beast mode will be activated."**

The voice ended, and Mr. Pork starts to change into a grotesque form and creep the hell out of Ichigo.

"What the hell is this…?" Ichigo stated as he watched his adversary transform.

"Oh dear… it seems that the timer has activated." Giriko commented from the sidelines.

"Ichigo! Watch out!" Nozomi said as Mr. Pork finishes transforming.

Mr. Pork roars loudly, catching the attention of Riruka, and increasing the worries of Nozomi and Chad. Riruka runs towards the dollhouse and after seeing what happened, turned to Giriko.

"Hey! I've never heard of it getting this gross before! Just what did you do!?" She demanded from him.

"My goodness." Giriko sighed. "You were the one who told me to lend my ability to Ichigo-san's training, were you not? Riruka-san?"

"Yeah but! There has to be a way that isn't this gross!" She protested.

"Oh? Nothing is coming to my mind though." Giriko answered, furthere angering Riruka.

"Oi! This is dangerous! Shut it down!" Nozomi demanded.

"Riruka! Get Ichigo out of this box, fast!" Chad said to Riruka, who only managed to stare at him in fear.

"She cannot." Giriko intervened. "That box also has a timer. If the creatures inside are able to survive for 30 minutes, they will then be able to get out."

"What kind of condition is that…?" Riruka asked him.

"You were the one who left me to the conditions were you not? In any case, removing Ichigo-san now would amount to a breach of conditions. And if that happens, he will receive the wrath of the **God of Time.**

"Wrath?" Nozomi questioned.

"Now that you mention it, this is the first time I've mentioned this. In the event that someone commits a breach of conditions of a timer that I have installed, then all the targets of the timer's effects will be incinerated without a trace by the flames of time."

"You're bluffing." Chad expressed his disbelief.

"You may take it how you like."

"He's not." Riruka admitted."I've seen it plenty of times."

"I shall say it again, so that you may understand. In the event that we extract either Ichigo-san or either Mr. Pork from the box before another 15 minutes have passed, then both of them, and the box, will be incinerated by the flames of time. That is my Fullbring, **Time tells no lies.** "

"Disengage it…!" Chad demanded.

"Impossible. Once **Time tells no lies** has been activated, it is impossible, even for me, the weilder of the technique to deactivate it. Any violation of the established conditions leads to instant death. You must never make light of the powers of time, for meddling with it is a truly terrifying affair."

Ichigo dodges another attack from Mr. Pork, still unable to figure out how to activate his Fullbring. He hides behind a wall. _"Damn, what should I do!?"_ He tries to think of a plan, but fails to notice Mr. Pork approaching him.

"Ichigo! Behind you!" Nozomi warned Ichigo, who managed to dodge just in time.

He plucked one button from Mr. Pork's body and threw it at him, hitting him square in the face and disorienting him long enough for Ichigo to be able to find a better hiding spot.

"Woah! That was close! Thanks, Nozomi!" Ichigo said as he glanced at his badge once more. _'Darn, how do I activate this thing? Ginjou said soul of the object, but how am I supposed to pull out and manifest the badge's soul!? "_ Ichigo thought carefully.

"Pride!" Chad shouted to Ichigo. "Pride was within my heart when I first used **Braza Dereche Del Gigante**!"

 _"Pride…?"_ Ichigo turned around to see Chad pulling his sleeves to reveal his arms.

"The matter that serves as the basis for my Fullbring… is the skin on my arms! My skin is dark right? Because of the Mestizo blood in me! I may have run into a lot of trouble because of my appearance and my huge size… but I never lost my pride in this skin of mine!" Chad said out loud, pride evident in his tone. "I was able to hold on to that pride… because of Abuelo! He was what was in my heart the first time I used my powers! It was the time when he instilled that pride in me!"

"Chad…"

"Remember, Ichigo! The times when you held pride in your Shingami powers! The badge will surely respond!" Chad gave his final advice before giving him a thumbs-up, and Nozomi gave him a smile.

 _"The times I held pride in my powers…?"_ Ichigo thought as the memories of his time as a Shinigami flashed in his mind. _"Rukia, Ishida, Chad, Inoue, Renji, Dad, Yuzu, Karin… Nozomi…"_ "I can't even… begin to count!" Ichigo said out loud, causing his badge to respond.

Black Reiatsu surrounded his badge and stretched out in 4 tendrils in the shape of Tensa Zangetsu's sword guard. Everyone was shocked to see this sudden development, while Ichigo stood up, ready to continue the fight.

"You did it… Ichigo." Nozomi said with a smile.

* * *

Well, that's Chapter 13. I might not be able to upload for a few days because of college, but I'll do what I can. Thanks for reading! Ja mata ne.


	15. Chapter 14

It's been a week but I still don't own Bleach.

* * *

Chapter 14: Unleash

* * *

"…this…" Ichigo examined the manifestation of his Fullbring on his Substitute Shinigami badge. "…is Tensa Zangetsu's guard…!"

"That… is Ichigo's Fullbring…?" Chad said as he looked at the black Reiatsu around Ichigo.

"Yes…" Ginjou said as he stood up from his seat. "In the same way that all your battles are etched into your soul… so too are they etched into the soul of the tools you possess. Every time you touch a tool after a battle, it engraves your memories of that battle into its soul."

"Soul…?" Nozomi questioned, still not informed about the basics of Fullbring.

"That is the greatest asset of someone who has been through many battles when they learn to use Fullbring." Ginjou continued and then turned to Ichigo. "Ichigo, even though you have lost your spiritual powers… your badge remembers them!"

As Ichigo and Nozomi were trying to take in the new information, Mr. Pork didn't waste any time and launches an attack on Ichigo.

"Watch out!" Nozomi warned him, which he instantly understood.

"Yeah, let's try this out!" Ichigo jumped to the air and threw his Fullbring like a shuriken, but the instant he let go of his badge, the black Reiatsu dissipated into thin air, and it bounced harmlessly off Mr. Pork's head. "Geh?"

"I wasn't supposed to use it like that?" Ichigo dodged another attack from Mr. Pork and picked up his badge. As soon as he picked up the badge, he activated his Fullbring again. _"The Reiatsu in the shape of Tensa Zangetsu's guard only comes out when I'm holding the badge…?_ Ichigo thought as he came up with an idea. _"If that's the case…"_

Ichigo ran up to Mr. Pork and slashed his arm with the Reiatsu, but didn't do any noteworthy damage. _"He didn't get cut… So this guard doesn't have that kind of power huh?"_ He thought as Mr. Pork countered, which he once again dodged. _"I guess that makes sense… It's common sense that a sword guard can't cut… so that means…"_

Mr. Pork launches another attack but instead of dodging, Ichigo ran up to directly in front of the attack and held out his badge.

"You idiot! What do you think you're doing!?" Nozomi reprimanded as Ichigo readied himself to catch his opponent's attack.

"Don't worry Nozomi! I know what I'm doing, trust me!" Ichigo tightened his grip on his badge as he used it to block Mr. Pork's slam. He flew back a few meters, but didn't receive any lasting damage. "Ouch… but just like I thought, if I use it like a guard then I can do this!"

"That was such a lame plan." Nozomi commented as soon as Ichigo regained his footing.

"I'd have to agree with that." Riruka side commented, causing Ichigo's eyebrow to twitch.

Ichigo ran back to Mr. Pork and held his badge with two hands, and he felt a familiar feeling after doing so. _"This sensation…!"_

"… that's good." Ginjou remarked. "Your mind is getting sharper while fighting. You're figuring it out so easily." He walked closer to the dollhouse to get a better view. "By merely catching a glimpse of the light, your fighting style has completely transformed, unlike before, when you didn't even had a damn clue what to do. I wonder… is that experience..? or instinct? Ichigo…"

Ichigo ran faster towards Mr. Pork and held his guard like how he normally holds Zangetsu. _"I can do this… this sensation is definitely…"_

"Moron! If you go that close to him…!" Riruka attempted to protest but was interrupted by Nozomi.

"Do it Ichigo!" She encouraged him while giving a confident smile, leaving Riruka dumbfounded.

"Yeah!" Ichigo said as he swung his badge like a sword. " **Getsuga Tenshou**!"

A large wheel of black Reiatsu emerged from the badge and hits Mr. Pork square on the face, instantly knocking him out. He fell to the ground as Ichigo stood triumphant.

"He… he did it…" Chad and Riruka stared in awe at Ichigo's surprising victory, while Nozomi simply smiled.

 _"With this… with this, I might really be able to regain my Shinigami powers…"_ Ichigo thought as the rest of Xcution congratulated him.

"Hey!" Ichigo called out to Riruka and demanded. "I passed right? Get me outta here already!"

"Tch… fine, whatever." She replied as she prepared to undo the effects of her Fullbring.

"Not yet."

"Giriko…?" Riruka said as she was interrupted by the older Fullbringer.

"If that was really Fullbring, then the conditions of the timer will be fulfilled and the fallen Mr. Pork will return to his original form. Taking Ichigo-san out of there should wait until after we make sure of that right?" He said as he slowly walked towards the dollhouse.

Just after Giriko's statement, Mr. Pork's body reverted back to its original form.

"Oh?" Giriko said as he examined the doll.

"Hey! He changed back! Get me outta here!" Ichigo demanded as soon as Mr. Pork transformed.

"F-fine, whatever! I guess I can take you out now!" Riruka said as she reached out to the dollhouse.

 _"She seems rather pleased…"_ Giriko commented in his mind.

Riruka picked up Mr. Pork and a twisted piece of cloth. She turned away from the dollhouse and stuck the cloth into her nose.

"Hey, what the heck are you doing" A confused Ichigo asked.

Riruka then turned around again and sneezed at Mr. Pork and Ichigo, causing a glowing "R" to appear on the hearts on Ichigo and Mr. Pork. Ichigo reverts to his original size while a fat man with glasses emerged from the doll.

"Well? Showering you with my sneeze releases you from the effects of **Dollhouse**!" Riruka said proudly.

"I don't need an explanation to figure that out!" An annoyed Ichigo replied.

"Need a towel?" Ginjou asked him and instantly earned an irritated look.

"Of course I do! You knew about this and kept quiet didn't you!?"

Ichigo was handed a towel and as he dried himself, the black Reiatsu emitting from his badge slowly stops flowing out until it completely disappears.

"I was just thinking that I didn't know how to withdraw the Reiatsu and it withdrew on its own… Is there a time limit…?" Ichigo inquired but suddenly, he heard a voice from his badge, although it is extremely weak. He brought the badge near his ears and heard a very familiar voice.

"…there's no way… if that Ichigo does someth-" The voice said but the sound completely disappeared.

"It faded out…" Ichigo said as he returned the badge into his pocket. _"What the hell was that? That was Rukia's voice! What the hell's going on?"_

…

"It ain't right!" Mr. Pork, or rather, the man who was inside it, protested. "You abduct me against my will, bring me here, and just say "Okay, bye" when you're done with me!? That ain't how it goes! It doesn't make sense, now does it!? Huh!?"

"What're you trying to say?" An annoyed Riruka asked him.

"Cash!" Mr. Pork immediately answered. "I'm sayin' gimme some compensation for my work! Do that and I'll let this whole thing slide!" He turned to Ichigo. "Right, Bro!?"

"Huh?" Ichigo replied, confounded.

"That crazy little lady dragged you here too didn't she!? I just can't keep up with kids these days! I'd really like to meet their parents!" Mr. Pork said to Ichigo, instantly creeping him out with his sudden friendly attitude. He faced Riruka again after a while. "Anyway, I'm not moving a bit until you pay up!"

Riruka reached the end of her patience and made a red heart, terrifying Mr. Pork. She then withdrew the heart.

"Th-the hell! I ain't scared!" Mr. Pork complained but hid in fear again as Riruka made another heart. "Sorry! I got totally carried away there! I'm apologizin' so don't put me back into that stuff toy!"

"As long as you understand, here, take this." Riruka said as she handed a pig-themed phone to Mr. Pork.

"The hell's this?"

"It's so I can call you up. I'll give you a call when there's a job for you to do, so be here in 15 minutes when I do."

"What!? Hey little lady, you mess with adults too much and-" Mr. Pork attempted to protest but immediately stopped when Riruka threatened to activate her Fullbring. "Ah! Please let me off the hook!"

 _"At any rate, he really does look like the plushie…"_ Ichigo thought as Mr. Pork exited the apartment.

* * *

How long has it been? 4 days? Anyway, college is really tiring. I got classes from 9am to 8pm. Considering, I'm an otaku-gamer, my stamina can barely handle that. But enough of that, I didn't update to complain. That's Chapter 14 right there. I'll update again later. Ja ne.


	16. Chapter 15

Guess what?

* * *

Chapter 15: The why of some things

* * *

"Now then, you can go home now Ichigo!" Riruka ordered.

"Huh? You sure? I thought for sure I'd be staying here to train…" Ichigo said, slightly startling Riruka and making Nozomi's eyebrow twitch.

"Haven't you been here long enough?" Nozomi whispered as she looked away.

"Right! And there's no way we can let a creep like you stay here! Are you stupid? Morooooonnn." Riruka said after crossing her arms and blushing.

"You little-" Ichigo attempted to complain but was cut short by Ginjou.

"They're right. Whatever the reason, it'd be crazy for you to stay here and train." He said, catching the attention of Ichigo and Nozomi. "Fullbring manipulates the power of souls using a living body. Doing that puts more strain on your body than you feel. It's best not to push yourself, once you wear yourself out, your whole body will fall right into pieces."

"I see…" Ichigo replied with a hint of disappointment. He wanted to regain his powers as soon as he could but still complied to Ginjou's order.

"There's no need to rush, I'll give you a call once your body has recuperated. You've put up with not having powers for a year now, a few more days won't hurt right?"

"Alright… let's go, Nozomi." Ichigo said as he gestured to Nozomi to follow him.

"R-right!" She replied.

"Wait." Ginjou said as Ichigo and Nozomi approached the door.

Nozomi turned her head to check what Ginjou wants.

"I believe we haven't properly met. My name is Ginjou Kuugo. May I have yours?" He asked rather politely.

"Kujou Nozomi." She answered with a serious tone and gave Ginjou a hostile glare.

"Hey now, no need to be so hostile. Geez, you're just like Ichigo."

"What do you want?" Nozomi cut right to the chase and directly asked Ginjou.

"Hey Nozomi, calm down." Ichigo attempted to calm her down but was paid no attention.

"Simple, we want to restore Ichigo's powers by sacrificing our powers."

"…how do I know that you're telling the truth?"

"Man, you're persistent. Look, we have no ill intentions towards you or Ichigo. We simply want to get rid of our troublesome powers." Ginjou explained, slightly lessening Nozomi's glare but still hostile nonetheless.

"Oi, Nozomi!" Ichigo called out but was once again ignored.

"Listen, if you ever do anything that in some way causes harm to Ichigo, I will come after you." Nozomi threatened before exiting the room.

"Aye." Ginjou said as he returned to the couch and asked Giriko for a glass of wine.

"Hmph. Your girlfriend is really something." Riruka commented, slightly jealous.

"She's not my-"

"Save it. Get going Ichigo." Ginjou said before starting to drink the wine.

"Yeah. See you later, Chad!" He said before rushing out of the room. "Nozomi! Wait up!"

"Uh yeah." Chad replied.

"You could at least close the door you moron!" Riruka complained as she closed the door herself.

"Kujou Nozomi… who is she, Chad?" Ginjou asked.

"Kujou-san? She's a Mod-Soul with the abilities of a Shinigami. She's been living with the Kurosaki family for a while now." Chad gave a brief summary of Nozomi.

"I see… interesting…"

"Oh who cares about her?" Riruka burst out. "Let her babysit Ichigo as much as she wants."

"Riruka-san… are you perhaps jealous?" Giriko suddenly asks her, causing her to blush heavily.

"WHAT!? Why should I be!?" She lashed out, causing Ginjou and Jackie to burst out laughing.

"Daw, how cute! Our little girl is in love!" Jackie teased, making Riruka blush even harder.

"It would seem that it's definitely the case." Giriko commented.

"That explains a lot." Ginjou said as he held back his remaining laughter. "But it seems you've got some tough competition. Nozomi-san is really protective of Ichigo."

A vein popped in Riruka as she lost all her temper.

"SHUT UP!"

…

Ichigo and Nozomi walked down the streets on their way home. They had a very awkward atmosphere around them, mostly because of last night's events. Both were looking away from each other, but passed quick glances at each other on random intervals. The silence was deafening, until Ichigo decided to break it.

"Say, Nozomi…"

"Didn't I tell you to never talk to me again?" She interrupted coldly, even causing a shiver in Ichigo's spine.

"…sorry." He replied, looking down at the ground.

"Just kidding." Nozomi said, smiling slightly as an annoyed Ichigo looked at him.

"Look, Nozomi, I'm really sorry about last night… I don't know what came over me… I'd never want to say those things to you… truth is,I-" Ichigo said but was once again interrupted by Nozomi.

"Oh just shut up already. I know you were tired, it just… shocked me." She looked away for a while before facing Ichigo again. "I'm sorry too… I kinda overreacted."

"Yeah now that I think about it, I guess you did…" Ichigo said, earning a stomp on the foot. "Hey. That hurt!"

"Ichigo, I understand why you want to regain your powers. Don't worry, It's alright with me if you meet up with those weirdoes again." Nozomi stated, changing the conversation's mood.

"Really? Wow, thanks Nozomi! That really means a lot!" Ichigo exclaimed, clearly relieved at the fact that Nozomi finally believes him.

"But I still don't trust them, especially that Ginjou. I don't know why but he just seems so suspicious." She replied, slightly making a hostile face at the thought of the man.

"I don't fully trust them too but I need to do this. I want to be able to properly protect you again."

"Properly protect me?" Nozomi questioned curiously. "Ichigo, is it because you think you almost failed to protect me from Kageroza?"

Ichigo felt a slight hint of anger after hearing that name. He hated him for what he did to Nozomi, his friends, and Soul Society.

"No, it's because I DID fail." Ichigo admitted, slightly in a shouting tone. "In fact, it's all thanks to my Reiatsu being unstable that you're here now."

"Ichigo…" Nozomi said in a sad tone. She didn't want to see Ichigo in this state. She wanted to see his smile, the one that always reassured her when she was troubled. Realizing that she would be unable t produce a meaningful word at a time like this, she pulled Ichigo into a tight embrace.

"Wha- Nozomi…?" Ichigo said, blushing at the physical contact.

"Don't say that, you idiot." She said as she buried her face in his chest.

"Nozomi, I… alright." He hesitated at first before returning the embrace.

They released each other after a few minutes, heavily blushing. It was Nozomi who spoke first.

"Ichigo, I allow you to meet up with Xcution, but on one condition." She paused for a while before looking at Ichigo. "I go with you."

"Wha-…?" He stared at her for a while, noticing the seriousness reflected in her eyes. "Alright."

"Thank you, Ichigo." She smiled at him, a slight blush evident in her face.

Ichigo returned the smile and they continued to walk home, but he suddenly stops and stares at her as she stops walking as well.

"…what's wrong…?"

"I'm hungry… want to eat lunch?" He asks.

She stares at him in disbelief and annoyance for a while, before smiling and giving him a nod.

* * *

And that's the fifteenth. I gotta say, writing kinda relieves stress from schoolwork. Well that's all I can say right now. Thanks for reading! Ja.

P.S.

I know, this chapter's kinda short. But I'll make up for it. Swear.


	17. Chapter 16

Diskureima

* * *

Chapter 16: And so, I met a hot girl

* * *

Inoue headed straight to Chad's apartment after school and knocked on the door. She waited for a while but there was no response.

"… Kurosaki-kun didn't come to school today… and it seems like Sado-kun still isn't going either… That worries me… but I think he comes here occasionally… since the bread I delivered to him was gone." She thought out loud while checking her phone for a hopeful message from Ichigo or Chad, but there was none.

"HEEEYYYY!" Someone called out, startling Inoue. "I am Shishigawara from Miyashita Commercial High School! You're Inoue-san, yes!?" The man with a strange army cut named Shishigawara paused for a while to catch his breath before continuing. "Pardon me! But would you mind dying here!?"

Despite being just being threatened a few seconds ago, Inoue remained calm, or rather, she didn't fully understand.

 _"I will be useful! I'll kill her even if it's the last thing I do… and be useful to Tsukishima-san!"_ Shishigawara thought as he attempted to devise a plan. _"I'll strike first and win for sure! Now hurry up and face me! Face me! As soon as you face me, I'll clobber you!"_ He jumped to the air and readied a punch.

"Eh?" Inoue turned right to look at Shishigawara, stopping him mid-air. Her gentle angelic face alone was enough to defeat him and send him to the ground.

 _"Wha… what a hottie!"_ Shishigawara said in his mind as he lay down on the ground. _"Hey hey hey hey what was that!? She's too hot! Is she really human!? Her extreme hotness flung me to the ground!"_

"Are… are you okay?" A concerned Inoue asked her assailant, although she didn't know that.

 _"No no no! I saw it wrong or something! No human is that hot! My sensor for that kind of stuff must've been busted since I haven't looked at a girl for a while!"_ Shishigawara thought as he attempted to stand up, _"Take a good look! She's nothing special…"_ He looked at Inoue again, instantly getting knocked down to the ground by himself. _"No waaaayyy! I can't look straight at her! I'm sorry, Tsukishima-san… it seems this… is as far as I go…"_

 _"NO! What am I thinking!? What's the point of getting discouraged at this stage!? Tsukishima-san showed me that picture because he believed in me!"_ Shishigawara recalled as he punched the ground and stood up. _"If I don't finish this job… then I'm not a man!"_

"Oh… he's up."

"Ooooahh! Get ready, girl! I, Shishigawara Moe-sama, am here to collect your head!" He threatened while blushing.

"…my head?" An unknowing Inoue asked.

"Huh!? Y-you know, your head! Your life!" Moe explained to her while still blushing. _"She doesn't even know that!? Are thre really girls like that in this world!? Is she really human!?"_

Inoue still didn't understand, but was immediately shocked when she heard Moe's next words.

"By collect your head, I mean that I'm here to kill you! Just like that bastard four-eyed friend of yours!"

"Are you the one who attacked Ishida-kun?" Inoue now spoke in a serious tone.

 _"What's with her? She changed all of a sudden…"_ Moe thought as he noticed the glare Inoue was giving him.

"Answer me." She demanded.

 _"Not bad. I can fight her if she's like this."_ Moe thought as he clenched his fist. "Is there any point in asking me that? You already got your answer when I brought him up right!?"

"That's true…" Inoue paused for a while. "Now then… tell me about your friends."

"You got a hot face but you're pretty serious! You're gonna have to beat that info outta me! Come on! Fight me!" Moe provoked her but was immediately interrupted.

"All right, that's far enough." A man sitting on the ledge behind Inoue spoke up while reading a book. "It was *I* who attacked Ishida-kun."

"… Tsukishima-san…!" Moe said in surprise.

"Who… are you…?" Inoue asked, clearly puzzled at how Tsukishima got behind her without being detected.

"Tsukishima Shukurou." He replied politely. "I'll be your-"

"Tsukishima-san!" Moe interrupted. "You didn't need to come all the way here! I'll take care of her! There's no need for you to trouble yourself with this!"

"…okay" Tsukishima complied with a smile and returned to reading his book.

Moe immediately ran in front of Inoue and entered his fighting stance. "All right! Bring it on!"

"Shishigawara-kun…" Tsukishima suddenly called out.

"What is it?"

"Let's get going." Tsukishima ordered, shocking both Moe and Inoue.

"What!? As your henchman, I can't retreat now! I'm happy that you're looking out for me but your honor is worth more than my li-" Moe attempted to protest but immediately stopped upon hearing Tsukishima close his book. He knew full well that this was not a good sign.

"How about listening to me for a moment, Shishigawara-kun…? I told you, you don't have to do anything." He ordered, still in a calm demeanor.

"Y-yes sir…" Moe complied while trembling in fear.

"Well then. What are you doing here?" Tsukishima asked as he pulled out the bookmark from his book.

"I-I wanted to be useful to y-" Moe answered, still shaking. His fear evident in his voice.

"Oh no. Now I lost my place." Tsukishima interrupted. "That is going to be a problem." He stated, causing Moe's eyes to widen. "Hey, Shishigawara-kun."

Tsukishia points the bookmark at the ground, causing it to transform into a sword. "You'll take responsibility for it won't you?"

 _"What… was that? His bookmark turned into a sword."_ Inoue thought as she examined the weapon Tsukishima conjured. "Is that… a Zanpakutou…?"

"…hm?" He turned to Inoue to answer her question. "No it isn't. This is Fullbring." He said as he pointed his sword at her. "And my Fullbring, is **Book of the End**."

Inoue stared at him, ready to defend against any possible attack.

"You may relax." He said politely. "For I'm not going to do anything to you… yet. Today I will leave right after I've punished this child that won't listen to what I say."

Tsukishima turns to Moe again, but Inoue suddenly steps in front of them.

"Oh? What's this? You're kind, just like they said. You can't even stand to see an enemy get hurt in front of you?"

"That's not it." She answered. "If you're the one who attacked Ishida-kun, then I can't let you get away."

…

"Ichigo! Kujou-san!" Chad called out as he saw them emerge from a food shop near his apartment.

"Oi, Chad!" Ichigo greeted. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Just going to check if there was a delivery today too."

"Delivery of what?"

"Lately, Inoue's been delivering leftover bread from her job here every day…"

"Yeah. That's because she's worried about you. Give her a call when you eat some." Ichigo suggested to his friend.

"Wait here, I'll go get the bread so you and Kujou-san can take home half." Chad said before climbing the stairs to his apartment room. "There it is… Sorry about making you do this every day…" He apologized internally while reaching for the bag but immediately stopped upon sensing something.

Chad immediately ran to the ledge and checked if Ichigo and Nozomi were there. "Ichigo!"

"What're you so worked up about?"

"There's something wrong with Inoue's Reiatsu! Something's happened to her!"

"What!? Where is she!?" A worried Ichigo asked.

"Follow me." Chad said as he started running, with Ichigo and Nozomi following shortly.

Ichigo pulled out his phone and started to dial some numbers but was immediately questioned by Chad.

"Who're you calling!?"

"Inoue, of course!"

"Ichigo, you probably shouldn't" Nozomi told him.

"The sound of her phone might distract her and leave her vulnerable." Chad explained.

"Are things really that serious!?" Ichigo asked as he returned his phone back into his pocket.

"I don't know… it's just that her Reiatsu is pretty tense."

"Are you sure this is the right direction?" Nozomi asked as they continued to run.

"Yeah. I just can't get a fix on the exact location through Reiatsu perception. If only Ishida was here-"

"Nah." Ichigo interrupted. "I can figure out the place as long as we're headed in the right direction. If we keep going this way, then we'll end up at Inoue's apartment."

…

"If I'm the one who attacked Ishida-kun, then you can't let me get away?" Tsukishima repeated Inoue's earlier statement. "That's a typical line. Nothing interesting about it. It would never make it into a book."

"H-hey!" Moe suddenly called out, but failed to catch any attention. He continued nonetheless. "What're you doing? Tsukishima-san means business! And he's scary as hell! He was just gonna kill you but now you're not gonna get off easy!"

"Quiet… I'm not doing this for you…" Inoue replied rather seriously, although her talent to mess up cannot be obscured. "…Sushigawara-kun."

 _"Its Shishigawara!"_

 _"I have to concentrate. I don't know what he can do. He has a sword, so_ _ **Three Sacred Links Shield**_ _could be a good idea… but if I did that, It'd be like telling him to bring it on. I wonder if there's another way to stop him…"_ Inoue attempted to devise a strategy but was slightly startled when Tsukishima suddenly turns away from her.

" **Three Sacred Links Shield!** " Inoue immediately responded by putting her hands forward and calling out the name of her technique, but was immediately stopped as Tsukishima suddenly appears behind her and stabs her in the back.

…

"Which apartment is hers!?" Nozomi asks her companions as they finally reach Inoue's apartment.

"403!" Chad answered.

"This way! The stairs are much faster than waiting for the elevator!" Ichigo as he led them to the staircase.

They quickly ascended the flight of stairs and reached the 4th floor. They continued to run through the hallways until they spot Inoue slumped down on the floor.

"Inoue!" Ichigo immediately called her.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun! Nozomi-san! Oh and Sado-kun too! What are you doing here?" Inoue questioned as he was helped up to her feet.

"What're we doing here? Chad said there was something wrong with your Reiatsu!"

"Are you alright?" Chad asked. "That wasn't a normal Reiatsu fluctuation… What on Earth happened, Inoue?"

"Huh? R-really? Nothing's wrong though… My stomach started hurting, that's why I was on the ground." Inoue answered, slightly stuttering.

"That couldn't be it… There was another Reiatsu here up until a while ago. Who did it belong to?"

"Who did it belong to? My friend? I met my friend here." Inoue said, still unsure about her choice of words.

 _"My friend…? That person was… Tsukishima-san…"_

* * *

Double update! Thanks for reading! Mata ashita ne.


	18. Chapter 17

La la la.

* * *

Chapter 17: Tsukishima Shukurou

* * *

Inoue Orihime found herself in deep thought after recalling what she said. That she was friends with the man named Tsukishima. The man who attacked Ishida. The man who attacked her. The man who was willing to attack his own comrade.

 _"My friend? Was Tsukishima-san my friend? No. He's the one who attacked Ishida-kun. I can't say that to Kurosaki-kun. I'll have to send a message to Sado-kun later."_

"Sorry for making you worry! If something's wrong then I'll be sure to tell you! And you guys be sure to do the same!" Inoue reassured her friends with her usual cheerful smile.

"O-okay… I guess we'll head back…" Ichigo replied.

"Okay! See you tomorrow!" Inoue waved goodbye to them as they made their way down the to the stairs.

 _"That was strange… why did I think that guy was my friend for a second there? Just what in the world…did he cut…? "_

 _…_

Ichigo, Nozomi and Chad walked slowly down the streets. While Ichigo and Nozomi were somewhat unsure what was happening, Chad knew for sure that Inoue is in the middle of something right now. His thoughts were interrupted by Ichigo though.

"Hey… what do you think happened?" Ichigo asked, full of concern for his long-time friend.

"Well… it's hard to say…" Chad answered with a half-lie, although he can say at most that there's something going on, evident from the way Inoue stuttered and sweated when she tried to explain what happened. _"… Inoue doesn't know that Ichigo is getting his powers back. She doesn't want to drag him into a battle, and he'd be the last person she'd want finding out about any crisis she might be facing."_

Chad thought for a while before looking at Ichigo again and continuing his earlier statement. "She's denying it that strongly… so the only thing we can do is believe her, right?" He said, getting an affirmative nod from Ichigo. _"I agree. It would definitely be dangerous for Ichigo to get involved in a battle with just his current powers. I'll have to get in touch with Inoue again. If there's nothing going on then it's my mistake."_

"I'm sure I just sensed her Reiatsu wrong. Don't worry about it. You two should get going." Chad reassured them as he went on his way home.

"Yeah, let's go, Nozomi." Ichigo said before continuing to walk as well before feeling someone tug on his sleeve. Of course, it was none than Nozomi.

"Ichigo. I think Inoue is hiding something." She immediately stated the thought that has been stuck in her mind. The way Inoue denied everything, it was all so suspicious.

"Yeah, I know. Something just seemed off about her. Like she's being mind-controlled or something." Ichigo admitted. He is by no means a complete idiot, he can notice if something is wrong with someone in an instant, even more so if they were his friends.

"… are you worried?"

"Well… I'd be lying if I said no. She IS one of my best friends…" Ichigo said before pausing for a while, thinking back. "But overly worried? Nah, Inoue's tough. She can look out for herself… for the most part." He added the last part after recalling his friend's "talent".

Nozomi smiled in approval as she heard Ichigo's words. She was amazed at how much faith he has in his friends. She blushes slightly upon remembering how she became friends with Ichigo and Kon, and by extension, everyone else. She wanted to be friends with them forever.

"Look, Nozomi. I'm going back to Xcution to ask them if they know something. ." Ichigo immediately changed the conversation's mood.

"All right but I'm going with you." She answered with full seriousness.

"Fine, le's hurry."

…

Back in Xcution hideout, a drunken Ginjou slammed his empty glass on the table. He's been drinking a lot since Ichigo left and one can tell by the alcoholic aura exuding from him. He turns to Giriko and asks for another glass.

"I can't do that." Giriko replied.

"And why the hell not!?" He retorted, rather viciously.

"You've drunk too much. Why, you're a mess."

He continued to complain until Jackie approached him.

"You're happy because the thing with Ichigo is going well right?" She inquires, slightly embarrassing Ginjou, which in itself is a rare sight.

"That ain't it." He said as he turned to the girl sleeping on the couch. "Hey, Riruka! Time for you to go back to your own place!"

Ginjou attempted to wake her up but to no avail.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Ginjou drunkenly ordered but was still paid no heed. He continued to rant after attempting to take a sip from his glass, forgetting the fact that it was empty. He bickered with Giriko after he politely refused to give him another glass, not noticing Yukio call out to him.

"Kuugo. The Direct Line is ringing." Yukio informed him, immediately stopping Ginjou's ranting.

Ginjou immediately put the communication device on his ear and asked who it was, but was rather surprised upon hearing the voice of the caller. "All right, I'll open the door now."

Ginjou opened the door to reveal Ichigo and Nozomi. He attempted to ask why they were back but Ichigo spoke up first.

"Inoue and Chad won't say anything. But something's definitely up." He stopped to catch his breath first before continuing. "It's probably the same guy that got Ishida."

"Kuugo, that means…" Jackie started to answer but was signaled by Ginoju that he will explain the matter himself.

"Yeah. It's probably Tsukishima."

"So, they do know something." Nozomi said to Ichigo which was answered with a nod and returned his gaze to Ginjou as he continued to explain Tsukishima's identity.

"Tsukishima Shukurou is a Fullbringer like us… and one time… he was our ally." Ginjou revealed, giving Ichigo and Nozomi their mixed share of surprise.

"What?" Ichigo questioned but was gestured by Ginjou to keep quiet and just listen.

"Tsukishima… used to be our leader. We came together with the same aspirations and combined our strength in order to get rid of our powers. Tsukishima was the leader who worked out the plan for doing that, and discovered that we could do it by passing our powers o Substiture Shinigami. But after the Substitute Shinigami we finally located have accepted a few of our comrades' powers, Tsukishima changed his mind. He killed the Substitute Shinigami, as well as our comrades who gave him their power, and then he disappeared. No, that might've been his goal all along." Ginjou finished his explanation and reached for something in his pocket. "Let me show you something."

Ichigo and Nozomi were left speechless after Ginjou pulled out the item from his pocket and showed it to them. They couldn't help to feel some kind of bad omen.

"…! That's… a Substitute Shinigami badge!" Nozomi exclaimed after regaining her judgment.

"Right. It belonged to the Substitute Shinigami that Tsukishima killed." Ginjou stated and paused for a while, letting the flabbergasted pair cope up first. "We don't know what he's thinking because he's not the type of guy that tells you. And we haven't seen him since then. But we were able to figure out one thing."

Ichigo stared at him in disbelief for a while before regaining his senses. "What's that?"

"That his objective is to prevent us from interacting with you, a Substitute Shinigami."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Nozomi asked him.

"Well, his actions suggest as much. He attacked Ishida Uryuu and made contact with Inoue Orihime. But he's using different and more violent methods than us, but he's trying to get your attention."

"Ginjou… I-" Ichigo attempted to speak up but was as usual, interrupted by Ginjou.

"I know. Please be patient. Now that Tsukishima's made his next move, we want to hurry up too. We'll begin preparations for your next training right away. I'll contact you as soon as we're ready. So for the mean time, head on home for tonight." Ginjou said, to which Ichigo and Nozomi complied without further questioning.

As they nearly reach the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo suddenly tenses up after seemingly remembering something important, causing Nozomi to look at him with a confused expression.

"Hey, Nozomi… there's something I need to take care of for a while. You should go home ahead of me." Ichigo said as he pulled out his phone and inspected it for a while.

Nozomi simply looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "… and what might that be?"

"You see… it's about my boss. I'll just ask for some time off so we can continue my training without a hitch."

She stared at him for a while before finally relenting and gave a sigh. "Fine. I'll be waiting at the house. Don't take too long."

"Got it." Ichigo replied with a smile and the girl in front of him returned it. They split ways as Nozomi entered the house while Ichigo ran off.

Nozomi went upstairs and noticed that Karin and Yuzu were already fast asleep, but Isshin was still missing. She dismissed the idea and made her way to her room.

"Nozomi!" Kon greeted her and immediately made a defensive stance as soon as the girl walked towards him.

"Hi." Nozomi greeted with a smile.

Kon blinked in disbelief multiple times, before finally regaining his composure. "Huh? No kick today?"

"As long as you don't do anything perverted." She said while shooting a second-long death glare, sending a familiar feeling down Kon's spine, despite having none.

"Oh then, where's Ichigo?"

"Said he'll take care of something. Should be back in several minutes."

"Oh I see… so how's it going lately? You two have been going out a lot lately and I don't appreciate always being left here!" Kon complained childishly but immediately stopped upon seeing Nozomi's expression change into a serious one. "Nozomi? What's wrong?"

"A lot." She replied, causing Kon to raise an eyebrow. "Look, I'm exhausted right now so I'll explain tomorrow okay? Good Night."

"Alright then. Good Night!" Kon watched Nozomi return to her room while he himself returned to the room he shares with Ichigo. "Wonder what's up…?"

…

Unagiya Ikumi. Boss of Kurosaki Ichigo and owner of the Unagi Shop- Odd Jobs. She was having her usual recreational time as a break from doing so many jobs, and Ichigo's absence was no help in that matter. It was all so peaceful for her, until a loud knock on the door came.

"Coming!" She replied as she rushed to the door and opens it strongly. The door seemed to have bumped onto something however, and the thing it bumped to was the nose of Ichigo.

"Hey! That hurt! Didn't I tell you to open this door carefully because it opens out towards the stairs!? How many years have y-" Ichigo complained while holding his sore nose.

"Ichigo! Where have you been!? You just stopped coming to work without letting me know again…" Ikumi said as she fully opened the door and headed back to her couch. "Come in for now! I'll listen to what you have to say inside!" She offered but was turned down by Ichigo.

"Nah, here's fine. I just wanted to ask for some time off"

"What!? Whadda ya mean you want some time time off!? You HAVE been taking time off! How long do you have to be away from work before you're satisfied!? Hey! You listening!?"

"Sorry…"

"Huh?"

"Well that's all so…" Ichigo said as he prepared to leave but was stopped by Ikumi.

"Hold on! Ichigo!" She said as she pulled him by the sleeve. "I don't know what happened, but stop treating me like I'm one of your classmates! I don't need a kid trying to protect me or something! In fact, I think it should be the other way around! You kids turn to an adult like me if you need help!" Ikumi declared, letting go of her grip on Ichigo.

Ichigo was somewhat shocked to hear that, but still took it in and excused himself before leaving. "Thanks… Ikumi-san."

Ichigo walked on his way home when he suddenly sees a familiar figure seemingly waiting for someone or something nearby. He walked closer while trying to avoid detection and upon examining the man, he immediately recognized him.

" _Dad…?"_

Ichigo attempted to approach his dad but stopped after noticing another person approach him. He hid behind a wall and small bead of sweat formed on his head as he saw the second person.

"… is something wrong?" Urahara Kisuke asked Isshin as soon as he spotted him.

"No… it's nothing. Let's go somewhere else"

"Why?"

Isshin closed his eyes before answering Kisuke's question. "Just in case."

Kisuke immediately understood what Isshin meant and agreed to his request.

Ichigo watched as his dad and Kisuke went to some place to talk about something seemingly important. He thought about what to do when he suddenly remembers Ginjou's words concerning Kisuke.

 _"I'd forgotten… no, a lot happened all at once so I tried to forget it. Should I follow them and get some answers? No. If I do that and Urahara-san is really the enemy, then what? Is there anything I can do right now? No, I've got to get my powers back quickly."_

He begrudgingly dismissed the idea of tailing them and just went directly home. Tomorrow is going to be the start of the real training. He's going to get his powers back quickly and resolve all of this. That was all that circulated in Ichigo's mind as of the moment

* * *

Hey everyone. That's Chapter 17. Hope you like it. I might update again later or not, depending on my mood. I can be extremely lazy at times you know. Anyway, thanks for reading! Ja ne.


	19. Chapter 18

I forgot what should be here.

* * *

Chapter 18: Let's get dirty

* * *

"All right! Today you're going to be in this fish tank!" Riruka said as she proudly presented a bear-themed aquarium.

"Okay." Ichigo nonchalantly complied, earning looks of bewilderment from Nozomi and Riruka.

"My, aren't we obedient? You're okay with this? Not gonna say something like you gotta get in one of these things again?" Riruka questioned him but was still met with nonchalance.

"Nope. Just do it already." Ichigo replied, getting the attention of both Giriko and Ginjou. It was unusual of him to be this quiet. The events of last night really struck him hard.

"All right, fine. Ichigo, I permit you." Riruka activated her Fullbring, causing Ichigo to get sucked in the fish tank and shrink to a miniature size.

 _"So that's her Fullbring?"_ Nozomi thought as she watched Ichigo get transported into the tank. She was trying to figure out the basic concepts of how Fullbring works based on what she observed from Ichigo's battle with Mr. Pork.

Ichigo straightened himself up as she was greeted by Jackie inside the tank.

"Welcome. We've met but I haven't introduced myself… I don't think. I'm Jackie Tristan, nice to meet ya." She said and entered her fighting stance.

Ichigo pulled out his badge and activated his nameless Fullbring. "Kurosaki Ichigo… let's get this started"

"Now that's a good expression." Jackie remarked as they spiked up their Reiatsu and prepared to fight.

"I've been meaning to ask… why are you always here anyway? You're not even a member of Xcution nor a Fullbringer." Riruka suddenly asks Nozomi, but failed to surprise her since she was somewhat expecting that kind of question.

"To protect Ichigo should something… unpleasant happen." Nozomi answered without a second thought or hesitation.

"Something unpleasant you say? Are you implying that we'll betray Ichigo?"

"No, I'm not."

Nozomi and Riruka exchanged hostile glares with each other, even freaking out Ginjou a bit as he thought he saw lightning crackle between them.

"Stand down, Riruka." Ginjou ordered after correcting his expression, to which Riruka followed without a question, albeit begrudgingly.

"Hmph!" Riruka began to leave the apartment after giving Nozomi another quick glare, which was returned to her with the same, if not higher, level of ferocity.

"Hey! Where are you going? You need to disengage your Fullbring later. Stay here and watch." Ginjou told her but she just continued walking and didn't even give him a single glance.

"No way! I don't care about today's training! Come get me when they're done!" Riruka said before leaving the room.

"Can I say what I'm thinking?" Yukio, the video game playing, cap wearing member asked.

"No, you don't have to." Ginjou replied.

"That's what I hate about Riruka."

"I said you didn't have say anything."

Ginjou returned his gaze onto the fish tank Ichigo and Jackie were in to watch their battle. Even though Jackie was a much more experienced Fullbringer, one shouldn't underestimate the pure talent Ichigo has in fighting. This was going to be an interesting show for Ginjou.

"Not going to attack?" Jackie provoked Ichigo, who was simply in place holding his badge out in a defensive position.

"You haven't brought out your Fullbring yet." Ichigo replied, seriousness easily detectable in his tone.

"How naïve. This may be training but it's still a fight you know? You have to treat me as an enemy." Jackie made a stronger provocation, but Ichigo still ignored it and retained his stance, slightly annoying her. "Would you say the same thing on the battlefield?"

Ichigo looks away for a while before answering. "… probably."

"Unbelievable." An annoyed Jackie remarked. "If that's how you are then I guess I have no choice. I'll get this started."

Jackie's Reiatsu spikes up after taking a step, slightly alarming Ichigo. She walked forward as electricity-like Reiatsu covered both of her feet, signifying the release of her Fullbring.

" **Dirty Boots**!" She said out loud before black Reiatsu covered her entire body, sticking to her skin like tights. A black hat shaped like a police cap also appeared on her head with a piece of cloth covering the right part of her face while white cloth armor covered her thighs, hips, arms and shoulders. She also had a white fur sweater on her.

Ichigo carefully observed her, anticipating what her next move might be. Jackie stands still for a few seconds before suddenly vanishing and reappearing behind Ichigo before he even had time to be surprised. She launches a powerful kick, sending out shockwaves on the area in front of them.

Fortunately, Ichigo manages to jump away in time to avoid her attack but still gets sent a few meters away by the shockwaves. He regains his composure in mid-air and lands safely on the ground.

"Well, you're pretty good. I didn't think you'd be able to dodge that." Jackie compliments him as she stands up.

"… neither did I."

"What's up with you?" Jackie asks, perplexed at Ichigo's strange behavior.

"What's up with you and that outfit? There's Fullbrings that you wear on your body?" Ichigo asks her, attempting to attain more information about Fullbrings.

"There must be if I'm in this get-up right?"

"What's its power?" Ichigo asks her, but Jackie is not as naïve to tell her opponents about her ability and risk exposing its weakness.

"You think I'm gonna tell you?"

'Nope." Ichigo said as he finally entered an offensive position. "Because this is a battle right? Guess I'll just have to find out… while I'm fighting!"

Ichigo held his Fullbring in front of him and starts to rotate it at high speed like a propeller, sending spinning wheels of black Reiatsu speeding towards Jackie, which she manages to evade.

He tries again, but a noticeably weaker wheel emerged from the badge, which Jackie manages to obliterate with a kick.

Ginjou and Nozomi were intently watching the battle when the door opens, with Chad entering the room and immediately looks around.

"Sado. Hi." Nozomi greets him and returns her focus on the battle taking place in the fish tank.

"Chad, if you're looking for Ichigo, he just started training. He's in that tank Nozomi-san is watching. He's battling Jackie right now."

"I see. That's convenient." Chad replied, confusing Ginjou with his strange answer. Or at least, Ginjou thinks it's strange. "There's something I want to ask you. That Tsukishima you told me about before… I want to know about his powers." He requests, remembering his earlier conversation with Inoue.

Inoue told him that Tsukishima cut her with his blade, but she didn't receive any wounds and that he and his companion just disappeared suddenly. She also said that for some reason, she thought Tsukishima was her friend when she talked with Ichigo. She said that it wasn't implanting false information on her, rather its because she recalled a memory in which Tsukishima was her friend, despite having not met him before.

Back in the tank, Ichigo dodges another attack from Jackie with a backwards jump. He wipes off some dirt from his face before standing up again.

Jackie stands up straight after recovering and stays still for a while. "Somehow, it seems like you can't dodge every time. You dodge one attack and get hit by the next. You've got good sense but you're too easy-going! Do you think you'll slowly figure out the trick while fighting?"

Ichigo doesn't give a response and simply reassumes his fighting stance.

"Well that's all well and good. But you're not gonna be able to keep up that easygoing mindset for long!" Jackie taunted him as she lightly stomped on the ground a few times. "Check it out, the ground here was hard before. But now it's sucked up some water and started turning into mud."

Ichigo examined the ground himself and found out that she was indeed telling the truth. The ground was becoming muddy and his feet are slightly sinking.

"Take a look. The **Dirty Boots** are gonna get dirty!" Jackie said before swiping the ground with her foot with a kick, causing some of the mud to cover it. She launches herself at Ichigo and unleashes a kick, which he manages to block with his left arm, although he feels something different.

 _"Her kick, it's got more force!"_ Ichigo thought as he gets sent reeling back several meters away.

"Figure it out?" Jackie asks him as she lands safely on the ground while Ichigo recovers from her attack, covered in dirt. "Just like the name says, **Dirty Boots** gets stronger the dirtier they get. Sand, dirt, mud, or even blood and rust. Anything'll do! Up until now they've been gaining strength gradually soyou wouldn't notice. But from here on out they're gonna get exponentially stronger at an accelerating pace!"

Ichigo manages to take in all that information calmly which, for some reason, angers Jackie. He could've sworn he heard her grit her teeth at least once.

Jackie then suddenly snaps when Ichigo still remains calm. "… Kurosaki Ichigo… Just how long are you gonna keep playin' it cool!?" She shouts out, surprising Ichigo but she doesn't give him a chance to respond. "Don't you get it!? You're not a Shinigami now! You're fighting with a flesh and blood body! Have you fought too long in a spirit body and lost your sense of reality!? You're flesh and blood! You can die! If you keep taking my attacks with your body then you're gonna get beat to a pulp and die!"

Ichigo takes all of that at once but still remains calm. He readies his badge and activates his Fullbring, further increasing Jackie's rage.

"Do you only know one damn thing!? That technique is full of holes! It's unusable in a real fight! Haven't you noticed yet!?" She reprimands him but he still prepares his attack. "If you don't get it then I'll show you!"

Ichigo releases a wheel but is easily evaded by Jackie.

"That technique's power is inconsistent! The number of blades varies between 6 and 3 depending on your level of concentration! If you fire them off in succession then the number of blades decreases!"

Her statement was proven true when Ichigo launches a wheel with four blades, whereas his previous attacks had 5 and 6 blades.

"And if it's 4 or less I can break them with a kick!" Jackie claims and immediately proves it by destroying the wheel Ichigo sent.

Undeterred, Ichigo launches two more wheels, one with 4 blades and the other with 3. Jackie manages to easily destroy the first one and gets ready for the next.

"Also, if you fire off 3 consecutive shots…" She destroyed the wheel and dashed straight towards Ichigo, but was met by a confident smile in return.

"Is when I'm left most vulnerable, right?"

By the time Jackie realized she fell into Ichigo's trap, it was already too late. He quickly manages to miraculously get behind her and strikes her from behind, sending her flying back a few meters.

Everyone was left awe-struck by the sudden table-turning Ichigo has done. Ginjou and Chad had surprised faces while Nozomi had a you-never-change-do-you? smile plastered on her face.

Ichigo lands safely on the ground wearing a triumphant smile.

* * *

Chapter 18. Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you like. My next update might be tomorrow so sorry for that. Ja mata ashita ne!


	20. Chapter 19

Oh right. I don't own Bleach

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Chapter 19: Progression

* * *

Jackie manages to recover from Ichigo's attack after a short while. She stands up and slightly dusts herself as she deduces how Ichigo quickly got behind her.

 _"_ _ **Bringer Light**_ _… It's flickering from Fullbring induced high-speed movement is the preliminary action for the next high-speed movement. It signifies that one is beginning to master Fullbring. So the alternating dodging and taking of my attacks was to draw me off guard."_ Jackie thought before reactivating her Fullbring and getting to continue her battle with Ichigo.

"… impressive. Immediately grasping the flaws in a newly acquired ability and utilizing htem right there in battle… who taught you how to fight?" She asks him in an intrigued tone.

"… the initial trick was taught to me." Ichigo answered as an image of Kisuke appeared in his mind. "But the rest I learned while fighting. I may not have been a Shinigami for long, but if we're just talking about combat experience then I probably have more than you guys." He declares, recalling his past battles with Renji, Kenpachi, Zangetsu, Byakuya, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Aizen.

 _"I see. So his combat acumen which has been unconsciously refined through his past battles is beginning to awaken as he enters into battle in his powerless state. Not bad, Kurosaki Ichigo."_ Jackie silently compliments him in the back of her mind and prepares to attack, but stops herself after noticing something wrong with Ichigo's Fullbring.

"Ichigo!" Nozomi called out to him, instantly getting his attention.

"What… Nozomi? What's wrong?" He asks her, getting an un-entertained look in response.

"For crying out loud… look at your arm!" She ordered.

"My arm? Why should…. Oh, what the hell?" Ichigo's complaint was cut short after finally discovering what was bothering Nozomi and Jackie.

The Reiatsu emanating from his badge started to go out of control and flared out wildly before covering almost his entire right arm.

"… I see… so Inoue Orihime said that…" Ginjou said, now back on the couch talking to Chad who was on the opposite couch.

"Yeah. I'm thinking that maybe this Tsukishima's power is something like suggestion or causing memory loss. His Fullbring had that kind of ability right?" Chad asked but was answered with silence. "Tell me. There's nothing to hide from me at this point."

The Reiatsu continued to flare out, enveloping the right part of Ichigo's upper body. The worries of Nozomi and Jackie further increased when the Reiatsu continued to increase in volume.

"I'm calling this off…!"

"Ichigo, stay still! I'll try to absorb the excess Reiatsu!" Nozomi said as she prepared to enter her Shinigami form but was stopped by Ichigo.

"What're you two talking about!? Not yet!" Ichigo demanded as he struggled to suppress his Reiatsu, although he was almost failing to do so.

"That's our line! Your Fullbring is starting to go out of control! This is the first time I've seen this! Your training progression was going too fast! I have to call this off!" Jackie said before starting an attempt to call out for the others.

"I'm fine! Keep going!" Ichigo stubbornly refused and entered a fighting stance.

"Ginjou! Giriko! Go get Riruka and tell her to deactivate her Fullbr-" She started calling out but was suddenly slammed on the ground by Ichigo with his Reiatsu-covered arm.

"I said keep going! My Fullbring isn't going out of control! This is my badge telling me to hurry up and get my powers back!"

"You little… I'm telling you that his is getting dangerous! Can't you figure that out without having it beaten into you!?" She attempted to retaliate but was once again interrupted when Ichigo's Fullbring went further out of control.

"I'm not hiding anything… I'm having trouble." Ginjou said as he stood up from his seat, earning a look of confusion from Chad.

"… what trouble?"

"If Tsukishima had a real pain of an ability, then I would've told you right away." Ginjou said as he walked away slightly. "Tsukishima's Fullbring is named **Book of the End**. It's a sword with extremely high offensive capabilities, literally able to cut through anything. But it doesn't have any special abilities."

"Maybe it's changed since the last time you engaged him…" Chad tried to convince Ginjou of his theory but to no avail.

"No. Fullbrings don't change as you progress."

Chad immediately takes defense and stands up. "That's not true! My abilities have changed several times so far!"

"In your case, you were just in the initial stage and haven't discovered the true nature of your Fullbring. How many years do you think we've been living with our Fullbring? We passed that stage a long time ago."

"So then… what about Inoue…?"

"That's why I said I'm having trouble. As far as I remember, Tsukishima's abilities don't work like that" Ginjou admits and pauses for a while."… what about Ishida Uryuu? He was cut by Tsukishima too right? Did he have any confusing memories?

Chad thinks for a while before answering, because he hasn't visited Ishida yet, he can only rely on the information Inoue and Ichigo told him. " No… well at least, according to Inoue."

"You better check on that. If he's had any confusing memories then that's a problem unto itself. But if he hasn't, then the one who cut Inoue Orihime… wasn't Tsukishima. "

"… you don't think so?" An eerily familiar voice startled Ginjou and Chad.

A knock suddenly comes from the door, causing Ginjou to heighten his guard. He watches the door for a while before it gets slashed down from the outside, the one at fault being none other than Tsukishima Shukurou himself.

"Tsukishima…!" Ginjou says out loud, alerting Yukio, Ginjou, Chad and Nozomi.

"Hey. It's been a while… Ginjou." Tsukishima greets in his usual polite manner, causing an uncomfortable feeling to those who heard him.

 _"This is… Tsukishima…?"_ Chad thought as he examined him, most notably his long sword.

Tsukishima inspects the room for a while with a smile, before greeting the other members. "Kutsuzuwa, not drinking too much are we?" He asks Giriko before turning to Yukio. "And Yukio… judging from what I see, you're still playing video games all the time. That's not healthy, you should really borrow some of my books."

"Tsukishima, what the hell are you doing here…!?" Ginjou angrily asks him.

"I don't see Jackie or Riruka… wonder if they're in here?" Tsukishima approaches the fish tank and points his sword at it.

"Wait, Tsukishima!" Ginjou attempts to stop him but was unsuccessful.

Tsukishima slashes at the tank but to everyone's relief, his slash was parried by Nozomi.

"Oh? I believe I haven't met you before. What might your name be, miss?" He asks politely but quickly backs away when Nozomi starts sapping his Reiatsu through the physical contact of their blades. "Ah, interesting. Are you perhaps a Shinigami, miss?"

Nozomi doesn't give him an answer and quickly attacks him again. She swings her Zanpakutou at him continuously but he manages to dodge by side stepping. Nozomi immediately jumps away after a while and holds her sword above her head.

" **Rain without End! Arazome Shigure!** " She releases her Zanpakutou and swings it down, sending a pink wave of Reiatsu towards him and causing an explosion.

"Did I… do it?" Nozomi said in a slightly exhausted tone.

Everyone stares at the smoke for a while, but Tsukishima was nowhere to be found after it clears. Nozomi frantically looks around as everyone else comes to her aid.

"Impressive display. But not as impressive as me, I'm afraid." Tsukishima said before reappearing behind Nozomi and hitting her in the back with his sword's hilt, knocking her down to the ground.

"Kujou-san!" Chad attempts to help her but was knocked down in a similar fashion by Tsukishima.

"Now, what if I…?" Tsukishima reappears beside the fish tank and raises his sword.

Everyone manages to trace his voice just in time to see him cut the fish tank in half with his sword, leaving everyone horrified.

"Ichigo!" Nozomi called out while struggling to get up.

An unconscious Jackie emerges from the tank, back to her normal size. What really piques Tsukishima's interest though, is the wild wave of black Reiatsu that explodes from the tank.

Ichigo reappears in normal size, seemingly in his Shinigami Shihakushou.

"Ichigo… that's…!" Ginjou attempts to speak but was unable to do so for some reason.

Chad stares at Ichigo's new form for a while before standing up and trying to figure out what happened to Ichigo's Fullbring. _"A clad- type Fullbring? This is the true form of Ichigo's Fullbring!? I get it! His_ _ **Bankai**_ _was like that too. He said that it included his Shihakushou, so it wasn't just his sword that transformed, his Shihakushou did too. His_ _ **Bankai**_ _covered his body for him. His true form is one where he is wreathed in power."_

"Did you know that?" Tsukishima asked in a riddle-like manner. If you break the receptacle for Riruka's **Dollhouse** , then the contents are forcibly ejected. I can't believe you were secretly training like that."

Ichigo ignored his "lecture" and immediately heads to Nozomi and helps her get up. "You all right?"

"Y-yeah…" She answers as she is helped up by Ichigo.

"But all that aside…" Tsukishima interrupts. "I see your Fullbring has already progressed this much. It would've been nice if someone told me, don't you think?"

Tsukishima suddenly dashes out towards Ichigo and slashes his sword at him. Ichigo forms the black Reiatsu enveloping his right arm into a sword and deflects Tsukishima's attack. Tsukishima jumps away a short distance after that.

"Wow." Tsukishima said after landing a meter away.

" Who are you?" Ichigo asks with hostility.

"Oh? This is a surprise… they haven't informed you about me yet?" Tsukishima inquires before pausing for a while. "I am Tsukishima Shukurou… the one who attacked-"

His statement is cut short however, when Chad activates his Fullbring and attacks him, destroying a large portion of the wall and creating a hole to the outside.

"Dumbass… if you do such a loud and conspicuous thing…" Yukio attempts to protest but was interrupted by a familiar loud voice.

"What was that noise!?" Riruka barges into the room as per Yukio's predictions.

"See? A noisy moron shows up. It's such a pain."

"I'll deal with the neighborhood fire and police departments." Giriko informs him, examining the hole Chad made.

"Whose money does he think will be used to fix this?" Yukio nonchalantly complains.

"Hey what was that noise just now!? I'm talking to you!" And Riruka yells.

Chad appears from the rubble and follows Ichigo, Nozomi and Ginjou as they chase Tsukishima to the rooftops.

"You idiot!" Ginjou berates Chad as soon as he caught up to them "Don't make things worse than they already are. Ichigo's Fullbring is functional. We can tell him about Tsukishima now."

"Not yet." Chad answers, slightly confusing Ginjou. "We don't even know the extent of Ichigo's powers yet, nor if can control it right now. Telling him that Tsukishima attacked Ishida and Inoue would only unsettle him at this point!"

"Oh? He did that huh?" Ichigo said, having overheard their little conversation. "I guess you guys were really worrying about me without my knowledge."

Chad and Ginjou were speechless, until Tsukishima finally reveals himself.

"That's the gist of it." Tsukishima says from behind Ichigo.

"You're the guy who attacked Inoue and Ishida?" He immediately interrogates him.

"What do you think?" He taunts Ichigo, causing him to lose his temper.

Ichigo reforms the blade on his arm and slashes at Tsukishima, which he manages to block with his sword. The force sends him flying a few meters however.

"Very nice!" Tsukishima compliments Ichigo, who uses Fullbring on the floor to jump higher than usual and go after Tsukishima.

The jump wasn't enough to reach Tsukishima but he appeared to use Fullbring on the air to accelerate midair and finally get Tsukishima inside his range.

 _"He performed an amplified jump and midair acceleration by using Fullbring on the concrete and air respectively. Ichigo mastered Fullbring this much already?"_ Chad thought as he, Nozomi and Ginjou watched his impressive performance.

"I see. I'm now well aware that you're beginning to master Fullbring…" Tsukishima informed Ichigo before stepping on a ledge on a nearby building. "But the all important Fullbring on your body…"

Tsukishima used Fullbring on the ledge and dashes at Ichigo with unbelievable speed. He slashes at Ichigo which was blocked, but destroys the Reiatsu enveloping Ichigo's left arm.

"… is still utterly incomplete." Tsukishima said before kicking Ichigo and sending him crashing down to the roof of a lower building. "If you concentrate your Reiatsu on you right arm to form a blade, then your left arm is left with little. In reality, you weren't even able to cushion the impact of your fall, right?"

"Ichigo!" Nozomi attempted to rush to Ichigo's aid but falls down to her knees as the damage Tsukishima inflicted starts to take effect.

"Kujou-san! Don't push yourself. You're injured!" Chad told her.

Nozomi reluctantly stays put after finding herself unable to stand. _"Ichigo…"_

Tsukishima dashes at Ichigo once again, who was struggling to get up. Ichigo attempts to block his attack but is taken aback when Ginjou suddenly appears and blocks Tsukishima's attack with his greatsword.

"Sorry, but it seems it's still too early for you and Ichigo to fight." Ginjou said as he pointed his b;ade towards Tsukishima.

"… Ginjou." Tsukishima said as he readied himself to battle against his former ally.

* * *

Chapter 19. Hope you like it. I'll try to upload another one before the day ends, but if I can't then I'll try to upload tomorrow morning. There's still a chance I won't be able to upload at all though so sorry in advance. Alright, thanks for the reviews and support! Ja ne.


	21. Chapter 20

I don't own Blea-

Hey guys, it's the 20th chapter! Wow, I got this far on my first story. First of all, thank you for all the support and time you take to read my little story, it really means a lot. I may not be an active conversation… ist, but I really appreciate the reviews, may it be little comments, suggestions or questions. And so, because I think I talked too much now, without further ado, here's:

* * *

Chapter 20: Play, Save, Reset, Load, Continue

* * *

"Going to interfere, Ginjou?" Tsukishima asked his former comrade as he raised his sword and pointed it at him.

Ginjou snickers for a split second before answering. "Guess we don't see eye to eye on that one. As far as I'm concerned, you're the one who's interfering."

"Ginjou…" Ichigo calls him, holding his own injured shoulder. "Get outta the way."

Ginjou turns away from him and changes to a serious expression. "No can do."

Ichigo stands up and puts his hand heavily on Ginjou's shoulder. "Listen to me… I said get outta the way."

Ichigo orders but is suddenly elbowed in the back of his head by Ginjou, knocking him down to the ground.

"Don't you get it? I'm saying you'd just get in the way. There's no way you're okay after being pounded into the ground from that height in a living body. You're barely able to breathe as is." Ginjou orders him, getting a glare in return but he was unthreatened. "I can't have you dying on me so just shut up and lie there."

"Are you really going to do this? You will die if you fight me, Ginjou." Tsukishima taunts Ginjou, but is once again unfazed by the threat. He raises his blade and points it at him.

"I guess we just can't agree on anything…" Ginjou complains while scratching the back of his head. "If you and I go at it, then you'll be the one that ends up dead." He said as he also raised his blade and points it at his adversary.

Ginjou dashes at Tsukishima and unleashes a heavy slash, which was promptly deflected. They continue to exchange attacks, with Ginjou delivering powerful slashes while Tsukishima made quick successive cuts. Their battle takes them leaping from building to building. Ichigo attempts to stand but loses balance and falls down.

"Ichigo!" Nozomi called out as she kneels down beside Ichigo and rests his head on her lap. "Stop pushing yourself, you idiot. You're gonna kill yourself."

"Nozomi…?" He tries to stand up again but promptly falls down after a jolt of pain coursed through his body. "Damn!"

"I said stop it! You can't win in your current condition!" Nozomi angrily reprimanded him, causing him to look at her in shock.

"She's right, Ichigo."

"Chad…?" Ichigo looked behind Nozomi to see his friend looking at him.

"Give it up. You should have already noticed the difference between your power and his. It's impossible to beat him while you're injured like that." Chad said to him, causing Ichigo to grit his teeth in anger.

"So you're telling me to just stay here and watch the bastard who attacked Ishida and Inoue walk away!?" Ichigo angrily retorted and forcibly pushed his body up and dashed towards Ginjou and Tsukishima.

"Oi, you idiot!" Nozomi grunts angrily and follows Ichigo, despite her own injuries.

"Hey wait, you two!" Chad attempts to stop them but fails.

Ginjou manages to get above Tsukishima during the chase and charges up an even more powerful swing. He gets ready to swing his sword down but suddenly stops, allowing Tsukishima to counter and quickly slash at his head. Luckily, he manages to move his head in time to reduce the damage to a shallow cut on his right eyebrow.

"That was close. What if you slash too hard and kill the people inside the building too?" Tsukishima taunts him as he raises his sword.

"Don't worry. I make sure we jump onto abandoned buildings." Ginjou replied after wiping off the small amount of blood on his forehead, but notices Ichigo charging from behind Tsukishima.

Ichigo makes another blade on his right arm and swings it at Tsukishima, but is easily blocked.

"You just don't get it do you? Your Fullbring is still incomp-" Tsukishima scolds him but is slightly shocked when the Reiatsu surrounding Ichigo increases, forcing him to push him away with his sword. "Your Fullbring changes that quickly? Very nice. Your current power… has become quite close to what you once possessed."

Tsukishima gets ready to reengage Ichigo, but quickly jumps out of the way to avoid a wave of pink Reiatsu that crashes down on the building, courtesy of Nozomi.

"And you, miss." Tsukishima turns to Nozomi after landing on a stone ledge. "Your ability is quite intriguing and formidable. But even with the two of you, I am still too strong, I'm afraid." He confidently gloats, causing Ichigo and Nozomi to prepare another coordinated attack.

" **Invaders must die**!" A voice shouted out, interrupting Ichigo and Nozomi's attack as the space around them starts to pixelate and envelops them.

"W-what the?" Nozomi tried to break free but was completely enveloped and completely disappears, her Reiatsu completely vanishing as well.

"Nozomi! Hey! NOZOMI!" Ichigo frantically tried to break out but was completely covered and disappeared as well.

An amused Tsukishima watches as his opponents vanishes from sight and simply smiles before looking to his right. "I see… you don't even want to let an incomplete Kurosaki Ichigo have any contact with me. You even hid Shinigami-san. That will become truer as he reaches perfection, won't it? Yukio."

Yukio was standing on the adjacent building, still holding his game console which was displaying a saving screen and a progress bar. The bar completely fills after a while, changing the display from "saving" to "completed".

"… so now, this means that will escape without allowing me to interact with the nearly complete Kurosaki Ichigo. But aren't you making a mistake? If that's your objective, then you should be locking me, shouldn't you? Tsukishima asks Yukio, who remains calm, or rather, indifferent.

"Sorry. But I don't have enough battery to _save_ you. And besides, that wasn't the point of _saving_ Kurosaki. Listen, you can hear that, right?" Yukio nonchalantly tells Tsukishima as the sound of people talking and gasping can be heard from below the building.

"Onlookers are gathering now. And I don't know who called them, but the cops and the fire department are coming too. And since we've been blowing everything all to hell, I'm sure a TV helicopter will even show up, if you'd like. And something like that, would trouble for you too, wouldn't it? Tsukishima-san."

Riruka suddenly appears behind Tsukishima and points a Riruka-themed gun at his back at point-blank range, causing him to stop his movements, but not his confident smile.

"… **Love Gun** …" Tsukishima said as he looked behind without moving his head.

"That's right, you know exactly what this is! Since you are the one who made it!" Riruka declares, still holding Tsukishima within range. "Would you mind getting out of here? I don't like stuff like this."

Yukio walks forward slightly and places one foot on a ledge. "We're gonna disappear. And we're taking Kurosaki with us. If you'd like to become a public spectacle, then I recommend staying here just as you are."

…

Ichigo opens his eyes to see his surroundings pitch-black. He looks around for a while before remembering what just happened.

"Hey, what's going on!? Nozomi, where are you!?" Ichigo frantically looks around for her but fails to find her. "NOZOMI! HEY, WHERE ARE YOU!?"

"Stop shouting, idiot." Nozomi answers from behind, greatly relieving Ichigo.

He immediate brightens up and rushes to her, but is tripped by her and he comically falls to the ground.

"Ouch! What was that for?" He complains as he gets up.

"You were going to hug me you pervert." She sharply tells him off, making his eyebrow twitch.

"I wasn't! And what's the big deal if I was? We've already hugged like, twice."

Nozomi blushes upon hearing his words and immediately turns away and crosses her arms, in typical tsundere way. "Sh-shut up, pervert!"

"Wonder where we are…?" Ichigo immediately changed the topic upon witnessing her reaction.

...

"Load complete." Yukio said as the "now loading" progress bar on his console was fully filled.

A black mass of pixels appeared in front of him, dropping Ichigo and Nozomi on the ground.

"Where… are we?" Nozomi asked upon immediately standing up and helping Ichigo do the same.

"Our spare hideout. It's far from being comfortable though." Ginjou informed them.

"Hey, saying it like that isn't going to make it more comfortable you know?" Yukio complains but was largely ignored, causing him to nonchalantly sulk. "I swear, all you do is complain even though it's someone else's money… and it'll probably be my money that repairs the old hideout too. But it's all because someone caused an explosion like that, I guess I'm gonna have to move money and calculate whether it's cheaper to fix the old hideout or build a new one."

"Sorry… talk to Chad about that…" Ginjou tells him.

"… what about Tsukishima?" Ichigo immediately asks after looking around.

"He withdrew… for now." Ginjou answered him, causing Ichigo to raise an eyebrow.

"Something not sitting right?"

"… nah. If his intention was to damage us, the he could've fought his way out of that situation. Especially if you factor in his strength. Riruka was inside his range of attack, and he probably could've even cut down Yukio." Ginjou answers but part of his statement was proven wrong by Yukio.

"Tsukishima-san knows my ability. I was hiding the console so he couldn't attack me in that situation. That goes double if he's interested in Kurosaki."

"… true…" Ginjou affirms his statement.

"All right then, guess I'll give Giriko a hand." Yukio said as he started to walk out of the hideout. "There's probably a limit to how well one person can deal with that explosion. Ah, what a pain."

"Wait, Yukio." Ginjou stops him before he can leave though. "Stay here and assist Ichigo with his training."

"Whaa!?" Yukio immediately protests to the idea. He was not the type to help someone, let alone help them train. "Why me!? I can't do a thing like that! And my console's almost out of batteries too!"

"I said it because you _can_ do it. Do it while it's plugged in."

"No way! I got tired all of a sudden!" Yukio made a poor attempt at weaseling out.

"The truth comes out." Ginjou said with a victorious grin, before changing to a more serious expression. "I don't know how Tsukishima located our hideout, but it's reasonable to think that he did it by sounding out Reiatsu. If we assume that, then we need your Fullbring for the training since it can completely block off Reiatsu. You can do that, right?" He re-asks Yukio, getting him to reluctantly agree.

"So my training's gonna be an actual fight?" Ichigo asks him, clearly remembering how direct battle is what caused his Fullbring to evolve so quickly.

"Yeah. It's what really suits you best."

"All right, I'll tell you right now, I already beat Jackie. Who am I gonna fight now?"

Ginjou turns around before facing Ichigo again, his face being the epitome of serious. That is, before he made an enthusiastic grin. "… Me."

"All right then!" Ichigo enthusiastically pumped his fist and tightened his grip on his badge.

"Wait." Nozomi almost immediately interrupts Ichigo's joy however, with her serious tone.

"Nozomi, what's wrong?" Ichigo instantly asks her. It's been somewhat like instinct for Ichigo to ask her that time to time.

Nozomi stays quiet for a while, before looking Ginjou in the eyes with even more determination than Ichigo. "I'll train too."

Everyone stares at her for a while, including Yukio. She tightens her grip on her Zanpakutou before looking up again and speaking.

"Tsukishima handled me like I was a child. If I don't do anything to get stronger, then I won't be able to protect Ichigo. I'll just be in the way…" She begrudgingly admitted. It was painful for her to admit that she wasn't strong enough to protect Ichigo.

"Nozomi…" Ichigo said, surprised that she's still holding on the promise she made a year ago. It all struck him, they both swore to protect each other. But now that he's quickly getting stronger, Nozomi's afraid she'll just end up as a damsel in distress. Ichigo knew she despised being treated like a helpless little girl that always needs to be saved.

Ginjou doesn't give an immediate answer and just stares Nozomi in the eye. She returns the stare with the same level of intensity, even unsettling Ichigo and Yukio. After a while, Ginjou finally releases his stare and smiles.

"Sure. Why not?"

His answer relieves Ichigo and Nozomi, with the latter even almost grinning, but quickly looks away in embarrassment, arms crossed.

"This doesn't mean I trust you yet." She quickly said, causing Ichigo to laugh. "W-what's so funny?" She asks him, now blushing.

"You're welcome." Ginjou said as she watched the two bicker.

…

Ishida Uryuu was sitting alone on his hospital bed. It was pretty boring, to say the least. But with his condition, he practically didn't have a choice. It got pretty dull quickly, so he started reading a book. Things were lifeless, until a knock on the door was made.

"Come in." Ishida said.

"… Ishida-kun…?" Inoue peeked through the door, making sure it was alright for her to enter.

"… sorry for making you come here so suddenly. Thanks for coming."

"That's okay, no problem. Is it alright for you to be up already?" Inoue asked, clearly concerned for her injured friend.

"Yeah… if it's only this much." Ishida admitted. Despite his injuries healing, it was still not enough for him to be able to stand up without support.

"You know, Ishida-kun… I've been thinking for a while now… wouldn't your injuries heal faster if I treated them?"

"Yeah, they would. Honestly, I was pretty shaken back then… I was thinking that the information I had wouldn't lead to a resolution by itself. I figured that if I was the one being targeted, then I had to get myself away from everyone."

Ishida looked down for a while and closed his book, with Inoue watching him and anticipating his next words.

"But now, the situation's changed. I would like to you to heal my wounds." Ishida requested, full of determination. All seriousness can be detected in his voice.

"Changed?" Inoue asked, confused by his statement.

"Kurosaki… has encountered the guy who slashed me." Ishida stated, greatly shocking Inoue. "It feels different than before, but it's definitely Kurosaki's Reiatsu. I don't know the reason for the change, but what I do know is that I can't just lie around and relax. You've felt that unusual change too, right?"

Inoue looks down for a while before answering Ishida. "… yeah, I felt it. But I decided not to go since Kurosaki-kun hasn't said anything to me about it yet." She pauses, but decides to reveal everything she knows and pieced together to him. "… it's just… if the presence that's with Kurosaki is the person who slashed you… then I think he's the same person who cut me as well after all."

Ishida was mortified. Inoue was attacked as well, by the same person who attacked him no less. He stares at her in shock before regaining his ability to speak. "… what!?"

* * *

Chapter 20! Once again, it's Monday tomorrow. So sadly… I won't be able to update again until the next weekend, so sorry about that. Gotta survive another week of College. Thanks for bearing with me! Ja mata ne!

...

By the way, to comemmorate this story's 20th chapter, I'm thinking of making a hand-drawn picture of Ichigo and Nozomi, so give me your thoughts about this guys! Alright, I'll be back next weekend, probably Friday.


	22. Chapter 21

Don't own Bleach.

* * *

Chapter 21: Level Up

* * *

"You were cut by the same person as me… but the nature of the damage we took…" Inoue continued, but was cut off by Ishida.

"No. The powers our opponents had seem to be different…" Ishida said, deep in thought after learning that Inoue got attacked too.

Inoue stared at him for a while, before seemingly realizing something. "Ah! I remembered something! His ability was like a Zanpakutou! And he called it Fullbring! The guy who attacked you did too, right!?"

Ishida sat puzzled for a while, before turning to face Inoue again. "… sorry. Honestly, I didn't have a chance to ask him… Until I talked to you, I was under the impression that his sword was a type of Zanpakutou, too."

…

 _"That's strange…"_

Inoue walked along the dark streets of Karakura town. She excused herself from the hospital after using her powers to effectively speed up Ishida's healing. Still in thought after her discussion with him, she continued to head home. That is, until she heard footsteps approaching her.

"Sado-kun!" She immediately greeted upon spotting him.

"Inoue…" Chad said, somewhat in a tone that says he wasn't expecting her. "Are you on this road because you've been at the hospital?"

"Yeah… I was treating Ishida-kun's injuries."

"I see… how'd it go?"

"His wounds are healed for now, but I think its better he rests for a little longer." She stopped for a while, and continued after a few seconds. "Since it seems the injury to his Reiatsu is a little different than normal…"

"I see… that's probably best." Chad said as he started to continue walking. "This is perfect; I had some things to ask about Ishida's condition. Talk to me while we walk."

"H-huh?" Inoue replied in a somewhat startled tone as she walked faster to catch up with Chad. "H-hold on Sado-kun! Where are we going?"

Chad abruptly stops walking and turns back. "To Ichigo. From here on out, your power will be necessary for his training!"

His statement confused Inoue. Ichigo no longer has his powers, so she had no idea as to why he would be doing any form of training at all.

…

Yukio pressed the start button on his console, causing a black mass of pixels to once again envelop Ichigo and Nozomi, along with Ginjou.

"I see… so this is what you were using to keep me locked away." Ichigo remarked, watching as the space around them pixelates.

"That's right." Ginjou interjected. "This is Yukio's Fullbring, **Invaders must die**. It seals its target away in another dimension, and Yukio can _control_ them with the game screen."

His explanation slightly alarms Ichigo and Nozomi, who weren't very welcome with the idea of being controlled.

"Relax, he's been told not to get in the way." Ginjou stated before continuing his explanation about Yukio's ability. "Have you ever thought you'd like to go inside a video game?"

Ichigo stares at him confused for a while. "What're you talking about?"

"Just answer me. Everybody thinks it when they're little, so you don't have to be ashamed."

Yukio finally finishes transporting the three inside the game as Ichigo looks around and examines the surroundings. He looks at Ginjou again after a while.

"… It's not like I haven't thought about it but-"

"I see. I've never thought about it, not even once." Ginjou interrupted him, earning a look of annoyance.

"Then why did you make me say that?" Ichigo asked in an irritated manner.

"'… well it doesn't matter whether you've thought about it or not."

"So why did you make me say it!?" Ichigo asked again, even more irritated.

"But it might be a little different than what you imagined though…" Ginjou continued to explain, ignoring Ichigo's ranting. "I thought you would say something like, this is what inside of a game's like?"

"It's definitely a lot bleaker than I thought it would be." Ichigo replied.

Upon hearing Ichigo's answer, Ginjou immediately puts his hand on his pendant, causing it to glow.

" **Cross of Scaffold** " At his command, Ginjou's pendant transforms into its greatsword form. "You've finally gotten inside a video game, so wouldn't you like some video game rules?"

Ichigo attempted to answer but was interrupted when Nozomi tugged on his sleeve.

"Ichigo, what's he talking about?" She asked. Saying that she's confused is an understatement.

"Hey, I don't get it myself, don't ask me." Ichigo answered before turning to Ginjou again.

"I say rules but they're not very complicated." Ginjou restarted. "It's a simple system. Yukio! Can you give us HP gauges?"

"Can I? Are you kidding me? I can make some right away. You want them to match your current stamina?" Yukio answered, seemingly insulted by Ginjou's question.

"Nah. Six each will do." Ginjou answered before turning to Ichigo and Nozomi.

"Got it."

At Yukio's command, the words "ICHIGO", "NOZOMI" and "KUUGO" appeared overhead, each aligned with six white crosses. Ichigo and Nozomi looked at them with confused faces for a while, before understanding what they meant to represent.

"Oh, and there they are." Ginjou remarked.

"So I take it that when these 6 crosses disappear… that's Game Over?" Ichigo asked, still examining the gauges that appeared.

"That's the gist of it. Do you need an explanation of Game Over?"

"Nope, I think I get the idea."

"When you get a Game Over, I'll make it say YOU DIE for you." Yukio commented from outside the screen. A large box with the word "READY" appeared as soon as Yukio pressed a button.

"Yeah, keep talking." Ichigo said as he entered his fighting stance. He turned to Nozomi, who was carefully examining the surroundings. "Oi, Nozomi!"

Nozomi nearly jumped as Ichigo called her. "w-what?" She asked in embarrassment.

"We're gonna start training now, but since you're so busy…" He teased, getting a kick to the leg as an answer. "Ow!"

"Shut up. I'm ready." She stated as she drew her sword.

The box's content changed from "READY" to "GO".

Ichigo grinned at her and turned to Ginjou. They all entered their fighting stances and dashed at each other.

"Let's do this!" Ginjou said and raised his sword as he charged towards Ichigo.

Ichigo activated his own Fullbring and made a blade with his Reiatsu. He blocks Ginjou's slash but is sent flying back from the force.

"That all?" Ginjou gloated before immediately spinning back to block a slash from Nozomi.

Ichigo smirked as he breaks his fall and stands up again.

 _"Oh crap!"_ Ginjou immediately realizes his mistake and pushes back Nozomi.

" **Rain without End! Arazome Shigure**!" Nozomi released his Zanpakutou as she flew backwards and sent a wave of pink Reiatsu towards Ginjou.

Ginjou used his sword to block the attack but was sent reeling back by the blast. Ichigo wasted no time in taking the opportunity and attacked Ginjou again.

Ichigo swings his blade but is dodged by Ginjou and kicked away.

"Impressive teamwork." Ginjou complimented. "But you're gonna have to try harder."

…

Riruka was sitting alone on top a building after the skirmish with Tsukishima ended. It's been hours now since anything happened at all, and she felt like she's gonna die from boredom. Her prayers have been answered though, when she spotted Chad walking on the streets with a girl she's never seen before.

"Who's the girl!?" She immediately jumped from the building and landed safely on the ground, earning an amused look from Inoue.

"This is Inoue." Chad answered.

"Oh, that's her, huh?" She instantly approached Inoue and inspected her thoroughly.

"H-hello!" Inoue greeted her, slightly weirded out.

"I've heard about you from Chad. You can heal injuries huh? Why're you here? Did you come to help with Ichigo's training?" Riruka interrogated her.

"Hey, Riruka…" Chad attempted to stop her but was ignored.

"I did." Inoue answered.

"You know right? That healing his injuries his injuries means he's just going to get hurt again afterwards! If you heal him then he'll end up getting hurt over and over again!" Riruka continued to antagonize Inoue, causing her to look down in disappointment.

"I can see… that you're worried about Kurosaki-kun too…"

Riruka immediately blushes and turns away after hearing Inoue's statement.

"N-no way! Why would…! Now hold on!" She attempted to defend herself but was interrupted when Inoue raised her head.

"I already know that… I'm long past the point of worrying about it." Inoue said, full of determination. "If Kurosaki-kun needs my power for what he's chosen to do… then I'll use it for that purpose, no matter what it is."

"… hmm. So what happens if he sustains some kinda serious injury he can't recover from?"

Upon hearing Riruka's statement, Inoue gives her a glare. Riruka can tell she's dead serious, so she decides to just listen.

"He won't sustain any more serious injuries that he can't recover from. Because I'll heal all his wounds, no matter how serious or hopeless."

…

Ichigo dashes forward and continuously slashes at Ginjou, but is deflected with ease.

"Nozomi!" Ichigo shouts out before slashing at Ginjou again.

"Right!" Nozomi replies as she descends from above and swings her Zanpakutou.

Ginjou blocks both attacks but immediately attempts to back away when Nozomi's sword starts to emit green Reiatsu. He's one second too late though, when Arazome Shigure's Reiatsu turns to pink.

"Oi Ichigo! You'll get caught in the blast too!" Ginjou attempted to talk some sense into him, but to no avail.

"Yeah I know." Ichigo smirks at him before turning to Nozomi. "Now!"

"Arazome Shigure!"

The pink Reiatsu explodes, as Nozomi jumps away. Ichigo and Ginjou emerge from the smoke, slightly injured but still fight-ready. Ichigo's gauge goes down to 4, while Ginjou's goes down to 5. Nozomi's remains at 5.

"Good job." Ginjou praises them as he wipes some dust off his face.

"Thanks. But we're just getting started!" Ichigo replied, before re-entering his fighting stance.

"We have a visitor. I'm sending her in." Yukio pauses the game and sends Inoue inside the game, catching everyone else's attention.

"Oh, if it isn't a healing item." Ginjou remarks as he watches Inoue look around like a lost little girl.

…

"So that's it then… Are you sure about this? I mean really sure?" Kisuke asks, with the recipient of his question being none other than Isshin.

"Knock it off already! How many times are you gonna confirm it?" Isshin answers, slightly irritated.

"It's a matter if whether or not a parent robs his son of his future. It's common sense to confirm it several times."

Isshin stops for a while before looking at Kisuke. "… that's why I'm telling you not to confirm it over and over."

"You have a point." Kisuke says after thinking for a while. He then turns to the right and speaks to a person in the shadows. "Now then! I suppose we should make our final move!"

"… yes." The person steps out from the shadows to reveal Shinigami attire.

* * *

Hey in case you were wondering, I made the picture I've drawn the cover image of this story. Give me your thoughts about it if you have time. Anyway, that's Chapter 21. Ja ne.


	23. Chapter 22

I don't own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 22: Ability to fight

* * *

"Well then… Shall we finish this whole thing up?" Kisuke said to the Shinigami while pointing to a seemingly glowing mass of Reiatsu. "Feed your Reiatsu into here… and the process will be complete!"

"… yeah." The Shinigami answered and then steps forward.

"In that case… shall we begin?"

...

"E-erm… It's nice to meet you! I, ah, my name is Inoue Orihime-" Inoue greeted politely but was cut rather short by Ginjou.

"No need for pleasantries. You arrived at the perfect time. Go heal him up, would you?" Ginjou pointed to an injured Ichigo.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue quickly headed towards him and knelt down to his level.

"Inoue?" Ichigo looked at her as Nozomi approached him too. "That's right, Chad must have brought you here."

"Can you stand up?" Nozomi extended her hand out to him.

"Yeah, thanks." Ichigo took her hand and stood up.

"That's right." Chad said after he was transported inside the game too. "You may not have wanted to get Inoue involved… But from this point onwards, we'll need her power."

Ichigo looks at him for a while, before returning his gaze to Inoue.

"Oi, Chad." Ginjou called him out.

"I know. I'm not here to lend Ichigo any assistance." Chad said as a door materialized behind him. "I asked Yukio to prepare a different room for me, configured to a higher difficulty level. I'll be training on my own. If we're going to fight Tsukishima, then I'd rather not just be sitting around."

"I see your point. Do as you like." Ginjou replied as Chad opened the door.

"I will." He entered the door and closed it afterwards.

Chad stood in place for a while and put his hand on his chest. Where Tsukishima stabbed him before he escaped.

 _"He stabbed me. No doubt about it. But it seemed as though nobody even noticed that it happened. No wound, no pain. Even I find myself doubting that it really happened. It's just… like Inoue said. I don't know what he did to me, but I can't think of anything to do about it besides becoming stronger as quickly as possible."_

…

"You're slow, is he still not healed yet?" Ginjou complained as he waits for Inoue to finish healing Ichigo.

"J-just wait a little longer please…!" Inoue attempted to reason, but was paid no heed.

"Sorry, can't do that." Ginjou said before turning to Ichigo and Nozomi. "You guys feeling ready?"

"Y-yeah." Ichigo answered as he and Nozomi entered their fighting stances.

"Wait, you two!" She attempted to stop them but fails when Ginjou charges towards them.

Ichigo and Nozomi prepares to block the attack, but to their surprise, Inoue intervenes and shields them.

"Oi, Inoue! Stop that!" Ichigo demands, but Inoue ignores him.

" **Three Sacred Links Shield** , eh? Like that can stop my **Cross of Scaffold**!" Ginjou gloats and forces his sword's weight onto Inoue's shield.

"You're wrong." Inoue tells him, but was answered with a smirk.

"Am I?" Ginjou answered and pierces her shield but instead causes it to explode, sending him reeling back a few meters.

"… **Four Sacred Resistors Shield**." Inoue calls out the name of her ability before dispelling it. " In the instant it's attacked, it explodes outwards and dissipates the force of the blow and automatically counters it."

"An exploding shield? Hardly subtle." Ginjou remarked as he recovers.

"I don't care about subtle. If you don't want to get hurt… then don't attack until I say it's alright." Inoue demanded and continued to heal Ichigo.

"Inoue… what was that?" Nozomi asked her, who simply smiled at her.

"… It's been seventeen months since Kurosaki-kun lost his powers. Sado-kun and I haven't been just standing still for all that time." She replied and then turned to Ichigo. "We believed all along, that one day, you would be able to regain the power to fight."

"So I'm the only one who did nothing?" Nozomi said to herself, slightly irritated.

"That's why we swore to ourselves, both me and Sado-kun…" Inoue continued. "That when that time came, we'd be strong enough to not be a burden to you."

Ichigo stares at her for a while, before smiling.

"You don't have to worry about me… I just want you to concentrate on getting your powers back. That's all that matters now." Inoue said as she finishes healing Ichigo.

"I see… thank you, Inoue." Ichigo said before walking towards Ichigo and forming a blade of Reiatsu on his right arm. "Shall we continue, Ginjou?"

"Yeah." Ginjou answered and immediately dashed towards Ichigo.

They immediately clashed and exchanged slashes, with mostly Ichigo on the defensive.

"Alright, Nozomi-san! Your turn!" Inoue said as she started to heal Nozomi.

"Uh, yeah." Nozomi replied.

"Say, Nozomi-san… why did you decide to participate in this training?"

Nozomi thinks for a while, before answering Inoue's question. "Well, I… was completely defeated by Tsukishima earlier. I don't want that to happen again, so that's why I'm going to get stronger. To-"

"Protect Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue smiles at her after finishing her sentence.

Nozomi stares at her, before smiling and slightly blushing. "… yeah."

"Okay! That should be enough!" Inoue exclaimed right after finishing healing Nozomi.

Nozomi stands up and instantly runs towards Ichigo and Ginjou, but not before stopping for a while and giving her a quick "thank you".

"2 minutes before midnight…" Yukio said after checking the time. Seemingly pondering to himself for a while, he presses the fast forward button on his console after a few seconds of thinking.

Ichigo launches another attack on Ginjou, but he easily blocks it.

 _"Adjusting movements to keep out of my reach?_ " Ginjou thought as Ichigo dodges his counter attack. "Too easy!"

Ginjou grips his sword's second handle on the blade itself with his left hand and uses it perform a follow-up slash, which Ichigo barely evades.

"Why do you think swords have handles put on them? It's to get rid of the handicap of reach!" Ginjou said as he spins around to block a slash from Nozomi. "Oh? Healed already?"

Nozomi immediately backs away, fully aware how dangerous Ginjou is at close range. Ichigo and Nozomi dash at Ginjou from two opposite directions, forcing him on the defensive.

 _"They seem to be fighting completely different from before. It seems bringing them here was the right decision."_ Ginjou thought as he continuously deflected slashes from Ichigo and Nozomi. " _Just as I thought… when they draw close to something they want to protect, they get stronger. But even still?_ "

Inoue watches on as the battle keeps on getting more intense. Until Riruka enters the game and immediately approaches her.

"Riruka-chan…"

"What are you doing crouched over there?" Riruka asked her.

"Err, there's no pillars or walls to lean on so I really had no choice…" Inoue answered sheepishly while standing up.

"Hah?" Riruka looks at her with an amused face, almost like she knows something Inoue doesn't. "Yukio! Give us a table and a chair! I'm going to eat my snack here! Hurry up!"

"Eh? You can do that too?" Inoue asked surprised.

"No way." Yukio immediately rejects Riruka's request. But before she can complain, Inoue speaks up.

"Um! I have a favor to ask! I want out of here!"

Yukio stares at her for a few moments, and then immediately gives them a table and a pair of chairs.

"Yukio! What are you doing!?" Riruka protests but Yukio only gives her a nonchalant smirk.

"Riruka, you should learn to take advantage of situations like that too. It was a good opportunity after all." Yukio lectures her, still grinning.

"Oooohhh when I get out of here, I'll remember that." Riruka stated before pulling a doughnut out of the box she was holding. Before she can take a bite however, she spots Inoue looking at the doughnuts. She could've sworn she saw her drooling.

"What are you looking at? Just cause you're looking doesn't mean I'll give you some." Riruka firmly declares, but her façade slowly fades away after looking at Inoue's eyes. They were sparkling.

"Ahhhh it's so good!" Inoue said as she took a bite out of the doughnut Riruka begrudgingly gave her.

"Yeah? Get over it and eat up." Said Riruka.

"Okay!" Inoue instantly complied and reached for another doughnut, the previous one stuffed in her mouth in record time.

"Wait! Aren't you eating too fast!? There's only one for you!" Riruka stops her, but upon seeing Inoue comically tear up…

"F-fine! Have another one!"

Inoue childishly grabbed another doughnut and nibbled on it.

"Geez… who does she think I am…? I wonder how your parents would have put up with you!" Riruka complained as she continued to eat her own doughnut.

"Ehehe… yeah… I wonder too…" Inoue cheerfully replied.

Riruka got confused for a while, before realizing what she meant. "… what are you talking about? You don't have any parents?"

"Nope. I heard they were really violent people. My brother thought they were going to kill me so he grabbed me and ran off with me when I was a baby." Inoue revealed her early life story to Riruka.

"I see… so the person that feeds you and acts as your parent is your brother, right? So I wonder how he puts up with you?"

"Nope. My brother's dead so I don't know either." Inoue said with a smile.

Riruka was puzzled. How Inoue was able to remain cheerful and optimistic with such a painful topic was beyond her comprehension.

"Right now, for a family I have a distant related aunt. She takes care of my living expenses and looks after my grades. So that's why I figured I should study hard." Inoue continued, scratching the back of her head.

Riruka looks away for a while but then slams her hand on the table and stands up, startling Inoue but finishing her doughnut nonetheless.

"I'm leaving! You're boring me!" Riruka starts to walk away, but suddenly stops and looks back to Inoue. "How can you talk so freely and openly about stuff like that anyway? Are you messed up in the head or something?"

"Well… since you already helped me… " Inoue pauses for a while, catching Riruka's full attention. "I can simile and talk openly with you like this… thanks to Kurosaki-kun."

"What are you, stupid!?" What's up with you anyway!? I didn't ask you about your past!"

"So-sorry…" Inoue apologized as she scratched the back of her head again.

"I'm leaving!" With that statement, Riruka continues to walk away.

"Are you really going!? Look! There're still some doughnuts left!"

"I don't want them! I'm sick of them already anyway! If you want to eat them, go ahead!"

Inoue stares at her for a while, before forming a smile. "Thank you, Riruka-chan! You really are nice!"

Riruka continues to walk away without replying to Inoue. "What are you, an idiot?" She murmurs to herself.

Ichigo dashes at Ginjou once more and slashes at him, but is once again blocked. He backs off for a while, with a look that seems to have just confirmed something.

 _"I don't feel anything from his sword… I thought that was because I wasn't used to fighting him at first… but as time goes on, no matter how much I clash with him, I don't feel a thing. It's different than that time with Ichimaru Gin, he just wasn't facing me with his heart."_ Ichigo thought as he dashed at Ginjou again.

 _"This guy's different, He's staring straight at me and coming straight at me with his heart, but I still don't feel a thing. Completely different from Tsukishima, when he looked at me, I felt like being stabbed by his killing intent."_

Ichigo slashed at him to test his hypothesis. Once Ginjou blocked his sword, he made a look of realization again.

 _"It's a Fullbring sword… Is it because it's not a Zanpakutou that I can't feel his heart? Or is it because… I still don't… trust him, somehow?"_

Just then, Nozomi dashes at Ginjou and slashes at him, but was easily dodged. Ginjou swings his sword at her and she blocks, but is sent flying by the attack's force.

"You all right, Nozomi?" Ichigo asked as Nozomi broke her fall and landed beside Ichigo.

"Y-yeah…" She answered as she attempted to stand up but fell down to her knees again, completely exhausted. Understandable, since they've been training for over an hour now and she's never had any form of training in over a year.

"Hey, maybe you should take a break." Ichigo suggested, obviously concerned.

"What are you talking about? I can still… uh." She lashes out at him but fails to stand up again.

"Look, you don't need to push yourself so hard. Rest for a while first okay?"

"Alright." She answers with a smile.

Ichigo turns to Ginjou again and they both raise their blades.

"Your thoughts are wandering, Ichigo. I thought you said you were going to fight." Ginjou taunts him but is paid no mind. "… looks like I'm going to have you pull you back into it."

"Eh?" was all Ichigo managed to muster before blood seemingly exploded from his eyes.

"Ichigo!" Nozomi cried out and attempted to get to him, but is stopped by Ginjou pointing his blade at her. "What are you doing!?"

Inoue attempted to help Ichigo, but was threatened by Ginjou to stop as well.

"You want to make Ichigo stronger, don't you? Then shut up and watch." Ginjou ordered them and turned to face Ichigo.

"When you lost your Shinigami powers, it seems you lost your readiness to fight. So I'm going to bring it back to you." Ginjou stated before raising his blade and pointing it at Ichigo, who is struggling with the pain inflicted at him. "Wait, Ichigo. Very soon, I'll bring back your ability to fight."

* * *

Chapter 22. Share your thoughts please. They're really helpful and I appreciate them a lot. Anyway, thanks for reading and hope you like it! Ja ne.


	24. Chapter 23

I don't own Bleach.

* * *

Chapter 23: Max out

* * *

Ichigo struggled to stand up after his eyes were mercilessly slashed by Ginjou. His eyesight was failing, but giving up wasn't an option for him. It never was.

"What the hell…" Ichigo grunted as he pushed himself up. "What the hell are you playing at!?"

"You're too loud."

That was all of Ginjou's response however and simply dashed towards Ichigo and kneed him on the gut. Ichigo was sent flying backwards several meters before crashing to the ground.

"Stop crying too loud, will you? It's really getting on my nerves." Ginjou said before stabbing the ground with his sword.

"Oi, Ichigo!" Nozomi called out and attempted to help Ichigo, but her path was blocked by Ginjou.

"Nozomi-san, I would suggest that you stay right there." Ginjou threatened as he pointed his sword's edge at Nozomi's throat.

"Stop that you bastard!" Ichigo shouted out as he attempted to get up. "What the hell do you want!? You said you were going to help us!"

"You gotta be kidding. What are you even saying? You've already been told about our goal to get you your Shinigami powers back. Teaching you Fullbring is the first step." Ginjou answered, still holding Nozomi at his blade's edge.

"And that's how you do it!?" Nozomi shouted out in anger, surprising Ichigo.

"Nozomi…" Ichigo murmured to himself as he finally manages to stand up.

"I couldn't completely trust you before… and I'm sure Ichigo feels the same. But after this, I can't even believe that your aim is to help us!" Nozomi exclaimed, but was forced to take a step back when Ginjou extended his sword's reach.

"Let me repeat… What are you even saying?" Ginjou started again before bursting into maniacal laughter, alarming both Ichigo and Nozomi. "The very instant you entered the playing field alone with me… It was already over! You are over!"

Ginjou immediately drew back his sword and kicked Nozomi away, sending her crashing to the ground. He didn't give Ichigo time to react however, and immediately dashed to him and punched him square on the face.

"You!" Ichigo quickly broke his fall and wiped the blood off his face.

"What's wrong? You're gonna die you know. Dodge like you mean it." Ginjou gloated confidently as pierced the ground with his sword again.

He quickly spots Inoue attempting to approach an unconscious Nozomi and immediately called out to Yukio, who instantly materializes a cage and drops it on Inoue.

"Oi, Inoue! What happened!?" Ichigo called out in concern.

"Now… I wonder what's happened? How about you go and see?" Ginjou taunts him, which of course works because of Ichigo's current state.

"Ginjou, you bastard!"Ichigo shouted out and dashes towards Ginjou, whom replies with a smirk.

Yukio watches Inoue examine the cage, frantically trying to get everyone's attention but to no avail.

"Your voice won't be heard from outside the cage, and it won't ever break no matter what you do." Yukio explains the cage to Inoue as she continues to pound on it.

Inoue seemingly shouts out to Yukio and tells him something, but as per Yukio's explanation, nobody heard what she wanted to say.

"… Sorry, I guess… I can't hear a word you're saying."

Ginjou easily deflects Ichigo's attack and instantly counters. Ichigo manages to barely dodge him, despite being blinded. Ichigo lands a few meters back, panting from exhaustion.

"Sheesh… you sure can dodge, huh?" Ginjou commented as he lazily dragged his sword on the ground.

"Even if I can't see… with your presence and the sounds you make, I can easily predict you movements!" Ichigo said.

"Presence and sound, huh?"

Ginjou instantly dashed towards Ichigo and stabs him on the right shoulder, his huge blade going all the way through.

"What's wrong? You should be able to dodge it, right? Presence and sound… Don't. Make. Me. Laugh!" Ginjou pushed Ichigo with his sword's weight, making him fall backwards. Ginjou immediately pulled out his sword and quickly stabbed Ichigo again, this time on the stomach.

"I'm done." Ginjou calmed down a little before pulling out his sword from Ichigo's limp body. "Now, It's time for Miss Mod-Soul to die."

Ichigo's eyes immediately opened up upon hearing Ginjou's threat. Ginjou wasn't joking around, he had to get up fast, lest let Nozomi die. He attempted to reach Ginjou with his bloodied hand but is kicked away.

"Please don't tell me you didn't expect this. You should've seen this coming since I was never your comrade. But don't worry, you'll meet up again soon." Ginjou taunted him once more before starting to approach Nozomi, who was still unconsciously on the floor.

 _"I can't speak… I can't see… Ginjou, wait! WAIT!"_ Ichigo thought as he lied helplessly on the ground. He was blinded and his body was torn apart, but he refuses to let Ginjou kill Nozomi.

Ichigo manages to open his eyes after several painful struggles, and manages to see Ginjou, but only a white silhouette of him.

 _"What? This isn't his physical form… This is Reiatsu!"_ Ichigo figured it out and soon after, a large mass of Reiatsu exploded from his body.

"GINJOU!" Ichigo shouts out violently, as he finally manages to stand up.

Ginjou looks back worried however, and a huge mass of Reiatsu explodes upon Ichigo standing on his feet.

 _"What… happened…?"_ Ichigo thought as he opened his eyes to see a heavily wounded and burnt Ginjou smiling at him.

"… I'm proud of you… it's complete." Ginjou said, completely confusing Ichigo so he decides to explain the situation. "The moment a Fullbring is completed, somebody has to stay close and control that outburst of energy while putting their own life on the line. The soul that was until then, suppressed inside the base tool releases itself, and the torrent of energy can ruin the user's body. That's why I needed you to complete your Fullbring where I could see you."

"Ginjou…?" Ichigo looked at him, completely dumbfounded by Ginjou's sudden change in behavior.

"Sorry man, I make one hell of a clichéd villain…" Ginjou scratched the back of his head and reached out an arm to Ichigo so as to help him stand. "Welcome to Xcution."

"Hey, what about Nozomi!?" Ichigo instantly demanded after standing up.

"Huh? Oh, Relax. Nozomi-san's right over there." Ginjou said, pointing to a still unconscious Nozomi on the floor a few meters away. "I had Yukio shield her as soon as your Fullbring blew up so she's fine. And don't worry, I never planned to kill her."

Ichigo felt a massive weight of his chest being lifted upon hearing Ginjou's statement and gives him a "thanks" smile. He quickly went to Nozomi's side and raised her head with his hand.

"Oi, Nozomi, wake up." Ichigo lightly tapped her cheeks with his other hand, causing her to slowly open up her eyes.

"I-Ichigo…" Nozomi said upon seeing his smiling face. After a few seconds of staring at him, she instantly pushes him away and sits up straight, heavily blushing. "D-don't touch me, pervert!"

"Aye." Ichigo replied.

Ginjou approached them afterwards, but Nozomi immediately stood up and gripped the handle of her Zanpakutou, ready to slash at him at the slightest provocation. Ginjou raises both of his hands in the air, as if in an "I surrender" pose.

"Hey, Nozomi, relax. He was only pretending." Ichigo tried to calm her down but was met by a death glare when he attempted to place his hand on her shoulder. "Err… sorry."

Nozomi looked back to Ginjou, but immediately noticed his wounds. "What happened to you?"

"Well you see…" Ichigo answered for him. "He only pretended to kill us so my Fullbring would mature faster. And then when it did, the ensuing explosion was suppressed by him."

Nozomi didn't reply and glared at Ginjou again, as if asking to confirm Ichigo's statement.

"It's true, I swear." Ginjou laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head before making an apologetic face. "Sorry for knocking you out and beating up Ichigo."

Upon hearing his apology, she sheathes her Zanpakutou and exits her Shinigami form. "Alright… but I still don't trust you."

"Well… I can understand that." Ginjou replied.

…

"One hundredddd!" Ichigo said as he pushed himself up for, well, the hundredth time. He quickly turns over and lied on his back like a child who just finished folding his blanket. "No! Dear God, No! I'm not doing any more of this!"

"What's wrong? Tired already?" Ginjou asked him.

"What the hell do you mean by already!? How many sets of 100 pushups are you gonna make me do!?" Ichigo childishly complained.

"We're only at fourteen…"

"Fourteen my foot! Are you insane!? Are you turning me into some wrestler or something!?"

"Stop your yammering. It's only fourteen sets. All right your name's got a 1 and a 5 in it so let's go for one more."

"No! Not that again! I hate it when people pull off that name crap!"

"Liar. You always wear those 15 pattern shirts."

"How the hell did you know that!? You're practically a stalker with your information network!"

Ichigo adhered to Ginjou's order in the end anyway, despite his protests. Nozomi watched him as she rests, refusing to join Inoue inside the make-shift house Yukio materialized for her.

"Kurosaki-kun's really training hard…" Inoue whispered as she peeked from a window of the house.

"I'll let myself in!" Riruka said, AFTER entering the house.

"Riruka-chan… you came in before I said anything again…" Inoue "scolded" her, but was largely ignored.

"Shut it will you!? Here's your breakfast!"

Riruka placed a platter of hotdog sandwiches on the table and promptly prepared to leave.

"Hey! Why don't you eat with me for a nice change?" Inoue offered.

"No thanks. I just had doughnuts."

"Well… she sure eats a lot of doughnuts…" Inoue murmured to herself before taking a bite out of one of the sandwiches.

"Aaaannd that should do it!"

Ichigo promptly collapses on the floor, struggling to catch his breath.

"Hm? You're awfully quiet. Not gonna complain? How about one more set then?" Ginjou joked, but was answered by unamused silence. "Relax, I'm just kidding. Your stamina's probably drained out by now."

"… Stamina…?" Ichigo said in between pants.

"That's right. We use our Fullbrings with our physical bodies. You'll need a ridiculous amount of stamina to effectively use yours."

"So that's why you're having Ichigo do this nonsensical training." Nozomi commented while she approached Ichigo. "Can you stand?" She asked Ichigo.

"Yeah…" Ichigo replied as he was helped up.

"You're recovering fast… that's good too…" Ginjou complimented as Ichigo finishes getting up to his feet with Nozomi's assistance. "You… saw something when your Fullbring got completed, didn't you?"

Ichigo thought back to when Ginjou pretended to go kill Nozomi, when he managed to see a white silhouette of him.

"Just as expected, your mangled eyes should have seen my form bathed in Reiatsu. It was for that reason that I blinded you right then. What you saw, is proof that you've begun to regain your Shinigami powers."

Even though Ichigo knew that it was the point of his training, he was still pretty surprised to hear that. He listened attentively to what Ginjou had to say, with Nozomi doing the same.

Ginjou smiled at them before continuing. "When you lost your Reiatsu… a tiny remnant of it accumulated in a single location within you, over a long period of time. That's why we used the Reiatsu flowing into you from your badge Fullbring to jolt the Reiatsu from inside you awake."

"I see… so that's why you had him learn Fullbring…" Nozomi inquired, which was answered by a nod.

"All that's left to do now is to beef up Ichigo's body and Fullbring. Then his Shinigami powers will fuse with his Fullbring." Ginjou explained to Nozomi before looking back to Ichigo again. "Ichigo, you will gain a power transcending the Shinigami."

Ginjou throws Ichigo's Substitute Shinigami at him, which he manages to catch.

"Try it. Your Fullbring should b truly complete now." Ginjou ordered him.

Ichigo stands up and began to activate his Fullbring. The Reiatsu emanating from his badge quickly enveloped him, materializing into white body armor with black underclothes. There's also a white strap running from both his face's sides. He holds out his badge, from which Reiatsu quickly emitted from and materialized into a short sword.

"That sure is something to look at… I almost thought you were someone else." Ginjou commented as he approached Ichigo. "Come to think of it… your Fullbring needs a name."

* * *

Hey all, I apologize for updating just now. It's been a busy day, since our Midterm exams are already on Monday. I should be reviewing… is what an ordinary guy will say. Anyway, that's chapter 23. Hope you like it, share your thoughts if you want. Mata ashita ne.


	25. Chapter 24

Bleach own don't I

* * *

Chapter 24: Memory Infiltration

* * *

"Welcome back." Yukio greeted after releasing Ichigo and the others from the game world, while still playing. "Congratulations. It only took you ages. You took so long that I that I thought the batteries on my console would be fried by now."

"Yeah. Thanks for everything." Said Ichigo.

Yukio looked at him for a while before standing up and headed towards the door, eyes still glued to his console.

"Well, get going already. Go home to your sisters. You didn't even call so they're probably worried."

Ichigo stared at him for a while and blinked his eyes for a few times, before understanding what Yukio meant.

"Holy Crap!" Ichigo blurted out. "I didn't call my family or the school at all! How many days was I even in there!?"

Yukio pointed at the clock, momentarily confusing them.

"Five minutes past one in the morning…" Nozomi commented, taking out a huge thorn on Ichigo's side.

"You were in there for only 90 minutes. You should be more grateful, since it's all because I used the fast forward option." Yukio said, showing the fast forward button on his console to Ichigo and the others.

"Oi, Ichigo. Let's get going, your family must still be awake by now." Nozomi said to him.

"Oh yeah, sure." Ichigo replied before turning to Chad. "Hey, Chad. See you later."

…

"We're ho-" Was all Ichigo managed to say before he was abruptly cut by Yuzu.

"Welcome home! Thank god! You're finally home!" Yuzu greeted while running towards the door.

"Er… yeah, sorry we're late." Ichigo apologized, trying to figure out why Yuzu was a little more enthusiastic than usual.

"We were waiting for you! We've got a guest who's a blast from the past!" She informed him.

Ichigo tried to guess who might the guest be, but to no avail so he just decided to ask.

"A blast from the past? Who?"

"Guess!" Yuzu cheerfully answered.

"Come on gimme a hint."

Yuzu thought for a while before looking at Ichigo again. "Well, okay! Here's a hint: He's a cousin!"

"… Cousin?" Ichigo was now completely befuddled. No cousin seemed to come to his mind no matter how much he digs up in his memory.

"Onii-chan's home!" Yuzu ran towards the living room calling for their "cousin", with Ichigo and Nozomi following suit.

But upon reaching the living room, jaws dropped and eyes widened. Everything went blank as cold sweat trailed on their backs before they finally processed what was happening. The person sitting on the couch, the cousin Yuzu was referring to…

"See! I bet you're surprised, Onii-chan! It's Shuu-chan! But I'm pretty sure Nozomi-san hasn't met him yet!" Yuzu cheerfully declared to the frozen and speechless Ichigo and Nozomi. "We haven't seen him since Rin-jii's funeral, so it's been years right? This sure brings back memories!"

… Was Tsukishima Shukurou.

"Why hello, Ichigo, Nozomi. It's been a while." Tsukishima politely greeted, furthering Ichigo and Nozomi's anxiety.

"Oh, you've already met him, Nozomi-san? Well, that's a surprise!" Yuzu said to the still frozen Nozomi before turning to Ichigo. "He came here in the evening so we ate dinner all together! It was fun to eat together again after so long!"

"Shuu-chan came here suddenly without even telling us beforehand. I swear he hasn't changed at all." Karin said while going down the stairs.

"Sorry. I guess I annoyed you" Tsukishima apologized to Karin.

"I-I didn't mean that…" Karin replied sheepishly.

"Say, Onii-chan, you should say something to-" Yuzu tried to get Ichigo to speak but was forcibly interrupted when Ichigo charged towards Tsukishima and grabbed him by the collar.

"You bastard! What are you doing here!?" Ichigo angrily demanded, but Tsukishima remained completely calm.

"Onii-chan!? What are you doing!?"

Karin and Yuzu attempted to calm him down, but Ichigo was blinded by anger so much that he didn't hear them at all.

"What did you do to Yuzu and Karin!?" Ichigo demanded, his loud voice snapping Nozomi back to reality.

Nozomi instantly and stepped in front of Yuzu and Karin and before heightening her guard.

 _"Is this his Fullbring' ability? Just what did he do?"_ Nozomi thought while trying to figure out what Tsukishima did to Ichigo's sisters, beads of cold sweat appearing on the sides of her face.

"Nozomi-san? What's wrong with you two?" Karin asked her as she attempted to approach Ichigo, but she was blocked by Nozomi's arm.

"It's ok, you two. Ichigo's a serious guy. Maybe he's just angry that I'm still here even though it's so late." Tsukishima explained to the two young girls but was met by an angry demand from Ichigo to answer him.

Nozomi got ready to enter her Shinigami form at any moment while Ichigo reached for his badge but was momentarily interrupted when the door bell suddenly rang.

"Ah. Yuzu, will you?" Tsukishima said while pointing at the door, completely unfazed by the threatening glares of Ichigo and Nozomi."I think it's Keigo and the others.

That was the last straw. Ichigo was just about ready to snap when Yuzu opened the door and exchanged greetings with their visitors.

"We're here, Shuu-san!" Mizuiro called out to Tsukishima but was slightly surprised upon seeing Ichigo and Nozomi.

"Uh? Oh you're here too, Ichigo, Nozomi-san." Keigo said while placing a bag of groceries.

"Hey, Ichigo! Aren't you having a bit too much fun at night, lately? And you're taking Nozomi with you too!" Tatsuki entered last after changing to the slippers Yuzu lent them.

"I called them." Tsukishima revealed, drawing in Ichigo and Nozomi's frightened faces. "It's been so long… so I wanted to see them. Don't make such a scary face. I'm sorry I called you in the middle of the night, but tomorrow is Sunday so I guess it's okay."

"What are you playing at!?" Nozomi asked him, her patience nearing its limit too.

Tsukishima's only response was a smile, before reaching for his phone.

"By the way… maybe I should call Orihime and Chad too."

Tsukishima conversed with Inoue on the phone, pretending to be oblivious to the anger about to explode within Ichigo. It only took a few more moments before Ichigo finally lost it and punched Tsukishima right on the face, sending him crashing to the wall.

Everyone was shocked greatly, even Nozomi, who was supposed to have seen this coming. Only the surprised gasps and light screams was heard until Ichigo approached the fallen Tsukishima.

"What the hell did you do to everybody!? Tell me!" Ichigo angrily demanded, all rationally was now gone.

"Are you okay, Tsukishima-san!?" Tatsuki asked worriedly before kneeling down besides Tsukishima.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered while wiping the blood on his lips.

"You're not! You're bleeding!" Keigo said as he and Mizuiro approached Tsukishima as well.

"Ichigo! What the hell!?" Tatsuki angrily reprimanded him, shocking him to no end. "I don't know why you're so angry but how can you do this to a relative you haven't met for so long!? Apologize, now!"

"Tatsuki, everyone, you're wrong… I…"

"What do you mean I'm wrong!? Just apologize!"

"Ichigo/Ichi-Nii/Onii-chan…" Everyone just stared at him as he frantically looked around, his sight blurring. It only took a few minutes before he started to hyperventilate.

"You're acting so weird."

"What are you doing?"

"Apologize!"

His friends and family's voices started to echo in his head. He lost the ability to think straight and he looked liked as if he was about to pass out at any moment.

"Ichigo, calm down!" Nozomi attempted to approach him, but was stopped short when Ichigo suddenly jumped towards the window and ran away as fast as he could. "Oi!"

Everyone else tried to call him back but he was already out of sight so they just directed their gaze towards Nozomi.

"Nozomi-san… what's wrong with Onii-chan?" Yuzu asked her, while everyone asked similar questions.

"I don't know…!" Nozomi took a step back as everyone approached her. "I don't know…" She took more steps back until her back was touching the wall. "I DON'T KNOW!"

She snapped and ran out the door.

 _"What's happening!? What did Tsukishima do!?"_ Nozomi thought as she ran away as well. Ichigo was probably several meters away now, but maybe she could catch up. That was the last rational thought in her mind as she headed in the same direction Ichigo did.

…

Ichigo stopped to catch his breath after running what seemed to have been a mile. He slumped his back on a wall as he panted heavily.

 _"What the hell… Tsukishima's ability…?"_ Ichigo tried to puzzle the pieces together but there was always a few pieces missing. His thoughts were interrupted though, when a white van pulled over beside him.

"Oh, Ichigo. Something wrong?" The van's window lowered to reveal Ikumi

 _"Ikumi-san… did Tsukishima affect her too?"_ Ichigo thought as he stared at her.

"Your clothes are dirty and you're not wearing shoes. What's happened?" Ikumi asked him, before suddenly retracting her question. "Wait, don't answer just yet. Let's go to the shop first." She said before unlocking the van's back door.

***Unagi Shop***

"Here, drink." Ikumi gave Ichigo a glass of water before sitting down beside him. "Fell free to stay until you've calmed down. You can talk to me about what happened if you want."

"Yeah… thanks, Ikumi-san." Ichigo said before taking the glass.

The door bell then rang and Ikumi headed to the door immediately.

"Hey, make sure you don't send the visitor falling down the stairs." Ichigo jokingly teased.

"Yeah, yeah." Ikumi answered before continuing her way towards the door. "Yes, who is it?"

 _"No way I can talk about it… She doesn't know about Shinigami or Fullbring. I'd just make her uncomfortable if I told her…"_

"Ichigo! How lucky! Someone came to pick you up!" Ikumi immediately informed him.

 _"Pick me up? Nozomi? Ginjou? Chad?"_

Ichigo raised his head to check who it was but the familiar feeling of mixed anger, fear, and anxiety returned upon seeing Tsukishima enter the door.

"It's your cousin, Tsukishima-san!" Ikumi happily informed him, but upon looking at where Ichigo was supposed to be, he was already gone. "Ichigo? Where are you?"

...

Ichigo was back to running away again, ignoring his body's pleas to rest. Paying no heed to the bewildered looks of civilians, he continued run as fast as his exhausted body could handle.

"What's happening!? Someone…! I need someone in their right mind!" Ichigo shouted out.

His incessant screaming was interrupted though, when he heard successive footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Ginjou running towards him.

"Ginjou!"

The man in question stopped to catch his breath for a while before looking up at Ichigo.

"They fell for it!" Ginjou exclaimed, heavily panting. "Riruka, Kutsuzuwa, Jackie and Yukio…! They all fell in Tsukishima's trap!"

Ichigo stared at him in utter disbelief. Not only his family and friends, but Xcution was brainwashed too. He took several seconds to process the sudden news, before finally snapping in realization.

"What!?"

* * *

Hey guys, it's been a while. Here's Chapter 24. Hope you guys like it. Read, share your thoughts, and keep being cool. Ja ne.


	26. Chapter 25

Watashi wa Bleach o shoyuu shite imasen.

* * *

Chapter 25: Memories no longer matter

* * *

Ichigo and Ginjou stopped to rest for a while in an old abandoned building, which Ginjou claimed to be a secret hideout for Xcution.

"We should be fine here for a while… I prepared it in case Tsukishima was able to find all the other hideouts. Actually not only him, the others don't know about this place either." Ginjou informed Ichigo as they finally got a chance to stop running.

"Damn! Why!? Why did this happen!?" Ichigo angrily screamed out.

"Ichigo…" Ginjou attempted to console him but was stopped when Ichigo held him by the collar with both hands.

"This is all your fault, Ginjou! All this happened because you involved me in all this!" Ichigo angrily accused him. He expected a sharper reply or a sudden punch, but all he got was a sympathetic face.

"Yeah… you're right… I'm sorry." Ginjou apologized in a downed tone.

"Damn!" Ichigo shouted out after slamming his hands on the ground while kneeling down, seemingly snapping back to reality. "I know you just lent me a hand! I know it's not your fault!"

"… It's no one's fault… you shouldn't blame yourself either." Ginjou said, finally calming Ichigo down. "Right before attacking me, Yukio told me it's about time I remembered too."

"Remembered? What does that mean?" Ichigo asked.

"Judging from what Chad said, I thought Tsukishima's ability was to confuse people's memories. But from the way they were talking, they didn't sound confused. It was more like they finally remembered and their mind was clear." Ginjou said to the puzzled Ichigo.

"So you're saying…?"

"Yeah. His ability is not to confuse memories, but to manipulate the past." Ginjou paused for a while to allow Ichigo to fit the pieces together. "Tsukishima's **Book of the End** is a Fullbring that uses a bookmark. But if that's a new ability, then it also matches the previous shape of a bookmark."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked but was gestured by Ginjou to just listen.

"Tsukishima… is able to _insert_ himself in the past of the people he cuts."

It all made sense now. His sisters and friends' strange behavior, was all because of Tsukishima's Fullbring. Ichigo finally managed to find the missing pieces of the puzzle.

"… Is that even possible?"

"I don't know. But you also heard what the people he _cut_ said. They weren't talking about trusting him or not. According to them, he had always been there, somewhere in their past, whether as family, a friend, or lover. They were deeply attached to him."

That was it. The explanation Ichigo was looking for. Ginjou continued his statement after a short while.

"Otherwise, they wouldn't speak as if they were talking about their memories. They aren't confused, nor did they lose their memories. This is their new past. And it's not like in fairy tales, where if you cry, their memories will come back. To them, it's us, the ones who don't know Tsukishima, that are insane."

Finally, Ichigo was able to understand the entire situation. Suddenly, a familiar sensation filled his being as a single thought entered his mind. It was returning, it all disappeared when he lost his powers, but now it's back. The urge to fight, his old ferocity was slowly returning.

"… Will everything… go back to normal if I kill Tsukishima?" Ichigo asked Ginjou, his voice had a deadly and threatening tone to it.

Ginjou cleared his throat before answering Ichigo's question.

"To be honest, Nothing guarantees that if you kill him, things will go back to normal. Our family and friends might just see us as murderers and hate us. They might just keep on believing that we're insane."

Ginjou's tone started as calm, but soon changed to almost the same one as Ichigo's

"But, regardless of whether the spell vanished or not… the only way to sever the ties Tsukishima made with them… is to kill him!" Ginjou said, shocking Ichigo with the sudden change. "Can you do it? Can you really kill him even if you don't know what will happen afterwards?"

Ginjou asked Ichigo, but before he could answer, they heard footsteps approach them.

"Ah, what an unpleasant discussion…" The voice came from Yukio, who walked from behind a pillar.

"H-how did you find this place!?" Ginjou immediately asked him.

"Why? What are you saying? It's always like this." Yukio lifted his console up, causing a black pixelized triangular creature emerge from Ginjou's jacket, which returned to the console. "We made it so that even when we are apart, we are able to know where each other are. As I thought… you must not be in your right mind, Kuugo."

Ginjou and Ichigo had similar surprised faces, but their shock was increased further when Yukio smiled at them instead. The smile was different, it lacked any form of hostility, rather, it was a peaceful and sympathetic one.

"Well, let's go back. Don't worry, Tsukishima-san and we aren't angry at you. Actually, we feel sorry. But it's ok, we'll fix you soon." Yukio said.

…

"It's here." Yukio said, referring to a mansion hidden in the woods seemingly belonging to Tsukishima.

"So, he's in there." Ichigo said.

The mansion's doors suddenly opened, courtesy of Tuskishima.

"Hiya." He greeted.

"Tsukishima…!" Ichigo immediately drew out his badge and charged towards Tsukishima, but was stopped by Ginjou.

"Wait! Don't just attack him without thinking! If his ability is what we think it is, then get one cut from him and you're finished!"

"Please relax. I am unarmed." Tsukishima held out both of his arms, revealing the absence of his sword or book. "I don't want to fight you. Let's talk inside."

"As if I'd enter a house that might have traps somewhere." Ichigo replied.

"I hope you're joking. If I wanted you to fall into some trap, I would have laid them in the forest."

"Exactly as he said." Yukio said as he made his way to the mansion. "Come on, just enter."

Ichigo and Ginjou finally complied and entered the mansion. Upon Ichigo's entrance though, they were met by the cheerings of Yuzu, Karin, Mizuiro, Keigo, Tatsuki and Ikumi.

"Welcome Back!" Everyone cheered, greatly surprising Ichigo and disturbing Ginjou.

"What's that shocked face? You should be happy!" Ikumi said as she approached Ichigo.

"Hey, Ichigo…!" Ginjou tried to talk some sense to him, but he was too shocked to even hear him.

"Shuu-chan isn't angry at all!"

"Aren't you happy, Ichigo?"

"Shuu-san is really kind."

"You should really apologize right away."

Once again, the voices of his friends and family swarmed his thoughts and clouded his judgment.

"Don't worry, Ichigo. They think Tsukishima is their friend, but they also think you are too. They won't attack you suddenly. Stay calm." Ginjou whispered to him, but Ichigo was seemingly deafened by the shock's impact.

That was all it took to make Ichigo to run away again.

 _"Damn! He couldn't take it…?"_ Ginjou thought as he watched Ichigo flee.

…

Ichigo quickly exited the room and ran inside the mansion.

 _"Crap! I want to kill Tsukishima right now…! But fighting him there would be stupid! If I do, everyone will be dragged in! Everyone! Yuzu, Karin, Tatsuki, Mizuiro, Keigo, Ikumi-san…! Everyone…!"_

He quickly spotted a door at the end of the hallway and rushed towards it. Upon entering however, he was met by Giriko, Jackie and Riruka waiting inside.

"Oh, good. You seem to be doing fine." Giriko greeted him.

"More than enough, I see. I'm relieved." Tsukishima said after he suddenly appeared beside Ichigo.

Ichigo attempted to run outside the door but Tsukishima quickly reappeared in front of it.

"What, I thought you hated me, but maybe I was mistaken. You even came all the way here just to be with us."

Tsukishima's statements were cut short though, when the wall behind him gets destroyed, from which Ginjou emerged, holding his sword.

"I destroyed the stairs. No one except Yukio will be able to go up here. So now, we don't have to hold back anymore." Ginjou said before turning to Ichigo. "Fight all out! Ichigo!"

That was all Ichigo needed to know. He instantly activated his Fullbring and dashed towards Tsukishima at blinding speeds. Tsukishima activated his own Fullbring and used his sword to slash at Ichigo precisely, but he was no longer there.

"What…" That was all Tsukishima was able to say before his arm was completely severed from his body. He looked at Ichigo intently, who was now back in his original position. "So that's your Fullbring!? You got quite better in just a short time!"

"Should I take that as a compliment? Well, you better talk now while you still can." Ichigo replied, full of confidence. "I came here to kill you."

Ichigo got ready to finish Tsukishima off, but was forced to jump back when something seemingly crashed through the wall. Upon the smoke's disappearance, two figures were in front of Tsukishima in a defensive stance, namely, Inoue and Chad.

" **Twin Sacred Return Shield** " Inoue chanted, immediately reattaching Tsukishima's arm back to his body.

"Inoue, stop. Don't heal his arm…" Ichigo, now full of confusion, attempted to stop Inoue. She only looked at him in utter disappointment, greatly surprising him.

"As usual, your healing power is superb." Tsukishima commented as he moved his restored arm around.

"Thank you!" Inoue cheerfully replied.

Ichigo directed his gaze towards Chad, who was still standing in front of Tsukishima.

"Chad… so you're also like them?" Ichigo asked him.

"I don't understand what you mean by like them. I'm more confused by the fact that you're different. Ichigo, why are you doing this?" Chad replied.

"Kurosaki-kun… did you forget how many times Tsukishima-san has helped you so far?" Inoue attempted to _remind_ Ichigo. "He helped you save Kuchiki-san… and you said it yourself that you wouldn't have able to defeat Aizen without his help!"

"It's all thanks to Tsukishima-san, isn't it?" Chad added.

By this point, Ichigo was no longer surprised. He felt like he used up every last drop of his ability to be surprised. He only stared at his brainwashed friends in utter disbelief.

"Do you… understand now, Ichigo?" Tsukishima said, who suddenly appeared behind Ichigo.

Ichigo made a backhand slash at Tsukishima but he easily dodged it.

"Ichigo!" Ginjou attempted to help Ichigo but was cut short when a chandelier fell down towards him, forcing him to block it with his sword.

"Aren't we you opponents? I really don't think you have time to worry about other people." Said Shishigawara Moe, who entered from one of the holes.

 _"Why is he…? Did he drop_ _this to the floor? How did he do it?"_ Ginjou thought while examining the fallen chandelier before turning to Moe again. _"It doesn't look like he has tools hidden somewhere… plus, the chain of the chandelier isn't even broken. It fell down because every single nail was removed. This guy… What's his Fullbring…?"_

Ichigo manages to block a slash from Tsukishima but is sent reeling back from the force.

"In SF novels, people sometimes go back to the past and make the future take a different turn." Tsukishima said while slowly walking towards Ichigo. "If you tamper with something, it's usually the future that changes. That's because time flows from the past towards the future. However, my **Book of the End** … is able to make people's past take a different turn."

Tsukishima pauses for a while before continuing his detailed explanation of his Fullbring.

The reason this is possible is because my ability doesn't control time or memories. It makes me able to actually _insert_ my own self inside people's pasts in any way I wish." Tsukishima stops, both talking and walking, upon reaching the space directly in front of Ichigo.

"So what Ginjou supposed is the truth… " Ichigo murmured while he stands up.

"Ginjou guessed my ability?" Tsukishima said in surprise, which in turn, surprised Ichigo. "I'm surprised, I guess I underestimated him. I thought he was more stupid than that." He reverted back to his calm expression and readied his blade. "Anyway, I guess it's sad, but I want you to understand. The past you experienced is different from the one they experienced."

"Tsk. Stop talking in a roundabout manner. Just say how things are. With your ability, you turned their past into something different." Ichigo said.

"That is not correct." Tsukishima answered. "It wasn't turned into something different. All of them, except for you, have spent their life so far with me. You're the only one living a wrong past."

The bomb was dropped, and the damage cannot be undone, especially to Ichigo. Tsukishima's words were enough to shatter his spirit.

"But don't worry." Tsukishima continued. "I will make sure that your feelings disappear altogether."

Ichigo was frozen in place, unable to move. Tsukishima took this chance and dashed towards Ichigo, sword in hand.

 _"I can't move… but when I think about it, why bother? Nobody trusts me anymore… I'm all alone…"_ Ichigo thought as he saw the approaching figure of his opponent. _"Here it comes…"_

To his surprise however, a familiar pink wave of Reiatsu came crashing through the wall and towards Tsukishima, who was forced to jump away.

"What…" Ichigo managed to say before a flash of black appeared in front of him.

"You idiot! What are you standing around for?" A familiar voice said out loud, causing Ichigo to finally regain himself and leave his trance.

"Nozomi!"

* * *

Chapter 25. Tell me what you think if you have time! Alright, stay awesome guys. Mata ne.


	27. Chapter 26

Watashi wa Bleach o shoyuu shite imasen

* * *

Chapter 26: Reprise - Book of the End

* * *

"And just where have you been!?"

A thank you was one of her expectations. Even a smile would have sufficed for her. She expected an expression of gratitude, even for just a short while. But what did she get? Ichigo yelling.

"There's time for that later! Tsukishima's our first priority!" Nozomi replied. She was right, they needed to deal with Tsukishima as soon as they could or things'll get more screwed up.

"Alright." Ichigo sighed, before nodding at Nozomi.

Ichigo took the initiative and quickly dashed towards Tsukishima with refueled self confidence. Tsukishima however, simply stood there as Ichigo unleashed a quick swing of his sword. It didn't take long for Ichigo to find out why Tsukishima didn't move though.

" **Three Sacred Links Shield**!" Inoue cast her signature shielding technique, completely negating Ichigo's attack.

Before Ichigo can react however, Chad quickly appeared beside him and threw a punch enhanced with his **Brazo Dereche del Gigante**. Ichigo manages to block the punch with his free left hand, but his feet slides back due to the punch's physical force.

"Why, Ichigo…!? I didn't get stronger for this…!" Chad said as he continued to push Ichigo back with his right hand.

"Wait, Chad…!" Ichigo attempted to talk some sense into him but it was futile.

"I didn't get stronger… to hurt you!" Chad held his left arm back, and white armor quickly covered it all the way through the fingers, ending in Hollow-like claws. " **Brazo Izquierda del Diablo**."

Chad unleashed a punch with extreme speed using his left hand, sending Ichigo crashing through the walls of the mansion.

"Ichigo!" Nozomi called out in concern.

Her attempt to come to his aid was foiled however, courtesy of Tsukishima. He quickly dashed towards Nozomi and swung his sword down. To his surprise though, Nozomi managed to deflect his strike fast enough before he got a chance to impale her.

"Oh? Better moves than last time." Tsukishima commented as he jumped back to avoid Nozomi's potential counter-attack.

True to his prediction, Nozomi began her counter-attack. She immediately dashed forward and unleashed a continuous barrage of quick sword swings, all the while absorbing large amounts of Reiatsu. Tsukishima knew he wouldn't be able to dodge her attacks this time, so he resorted to blocking them with his own sword. It would soon prove to be a bigger mistake though.

 _"Hm… If I remember correctly, her ability is to absorb Reiatsu and use it to her own advantage. But based on my observations, she can only release the stored Reiatsu in the form of a crescent wave, which takes a while to prepare. Attempting it at close range would be foolish, but then again, she's already proven she's capable of surprises."_ Tsukishima thought while continuing to block Nozomi's multiple slashes.

" **Tenran**!" Nozomi called out, sending a small tornado towards Tsukishima and catching him off-guard. " **Rain without End, Arazome Shigure**!" She quickly followed up while Tsukishima was still being pushed back by her Kidou.

" **Ame no Rabenda**!" Nozomi followed up once again, completely leaving Tsukishima puzzled as to what she was planning.

Nozomi swung her sword directed upwards, sending a giant wave of pink Reiatsu in the same direction. The Reiatsu then broke down into smaller orbs which rained down towards Tsukishima, generating continuous mini-explosions.

Ichigo stood up, wiping the blood trailing from his right hairline.

"Why did everything turn out like this? I wanted to protect you! I…!" Ichigo shouted out, his frustration reaching extreme levels. "For what purpose did I get my power back!?"

To his surprise, the one who answered his fits of rage was Tsukishima himself.

"Tsukishima!" Ichigo screamed out.

"Ichigo!" Ginjou called out.

" **Dirty Boots**!" Jackie activated her Fullbring and unleashed a swift kick at Ginjou, forcing him to dodge and foiling his plans to help Ichigo.

" **Time tells no lies**!" This time it was Giriko's turn to activate his Fullbring.

He pumped his fist out while holding his pocket watch, sending out golden beams of Reiatsu in the shape of the clock's numbers. Ginjou was forced to jump up to avoid Giriko's assault.

" **Dollhouse**!" Riruka activated her Fullbring next and pointed her **Love Gun** at Ginjou, who had no way to dodge in midair.

But that wasn't the master plan.

Ginjou turned around as soon as he realized this, and managed to block Moe's sneak attack with his sword. He easily sends Moe flying back with the sheer weight of his blade.

 _"What's with this guy…? He's not much of anything!"_ Ginjou thought, perplexed by Moe's apparent lack of skill or power in fighting. But all those thoughts vanished after seeing a part of his sword's hilt broken. _"What the…? It broke!?"_

"Hah! Aren't you lucky that didn't hit your body? It was such a good roll… who knows what might have happened to you?" Moe stood up and mocked Ginjou.

"What do you mean by that?" Ginjou asked, earning a maniacal laugh in response.

Moe decided to answer his question properly after a while. He unwrapped his bandage covered hands to reveal what appears to be a brass knuckle with three golden 7's on it.

"The name of my Fullbring… is **Jackpot Knuckle**! The very top shows rolls that manipulate probability!" Moe declared, proudly showing off his previously hidden Fullbring.

Moe immediately noticed the confused atmosphere around Ginjou, so he decided to further explain.

"Just now, my punch hit the jackpot, and the guard on you sword _just happened_ to fracture from wear! Earlier, the ten yen coin I flipped hit the jackpot, and the chandelier's screws _just happened_ to loosen and come out!"

Ginjou didn't fully understand. Probability? Jackpot? He'd worry about the details later. Now, he needed to beat his opponents. With that thought in mind, he entered his battle stance.

"Bring it on, Ginjou Kuugo! I'll show you what a killing blow really means!" Moe challenged, also entering a fighting stance of his own.

Ichigo charged forward and swung his blade towards Tsukishima. He manages to block the attack with little effort, Ichigo's rage completely blinding him.

"What's wrong? How pitiful. Are you so overwhelmed with rage that the words won't come out?" Tsukishima half-inquired, and half-mocked.

To his surprise however, Ichigo pulls a fast one on him and kicks on the side with his right foot with no leverage at all. Tsukishima is sent flying by the attack but manages to quickly regain his footing.

" **Ren no Rabenda**!" Nozomi quickly appeared beside Tsukishima and unleashed a powerful slash at him, her Zanpakutou completely covered by her trademark pink Reiatsu.

 _"Just one swing?"_ Tsukishima was unable to figure out the reason for this before Nozomi pushed him back with her sword, from which countless beams of pink Reiatsu emerged.

The beams all scattered out in different directions before suddenly changing directions and bombarded Tsukishima like lasers.

" **Getsuga**..." Tsukishima didn't have enough time to react as Ichigo prepared his signature move. " **Tenshou**!"

 _"So fast!"_ Tsukishima cursed internally as a giant wave of Reiatsu was released from Ichigo's sword and made its way towards his direction. Luckily for him, he was able to barely dodge the attack.

" _So even in Fullbring state, he can use_ _ **Getsuga Tenshou**_ _, and moreover, his attack speed is several times greater than anticipated. Truly… he has succeeded in melding his Shingami powers and Fullbring together. As expected, even despair has helped him complete his power."_ Tsukishima thought while he amusingly watched Ichigo glare down at him.

"It's over for me. Let's finish this up, shall we?"

At that moment, Ginjou was sent reeling back because of Moe and Xcution's combined attacks. Injury and exhaustion was already wearing him down heavily.

"Damn it! Four against one really puts me at a severe disadvantage… That Shishigawara guy's ability is particularly troublesome." Ginjou took one glance at Moe before looking around. "I wonder if Ichigo's alright?"

Shock would be an understatement if Ginjou were to explain what he felt after seeing what was happening on Ichigo's side.

Nozomi was on her knees, completely exhausted from unleashing several powerful techniques in quick succession, she could only watch as Ichigo dashed forward to deliver another powerful slash to Tsukishima, but was promptly blocked by Chad.

" **Tsuki no Rabenda**!" Nozomi stood up with difficulty and unleashed a crescent wave of Reiatsu towards Tsukishima, which like Ichigo's attack, was blocked, this time by Inoue's shield. "Inoue…! What are you…?

She tried to approach her but fell down to her knees again as Inoue looked at her with the same disappointed face she showed to Ichigo.

"Nozomi…!" Ichigo called out, greatly worried. He grit his teeth before turning back to Chad. "Why did you guys come over!? Stop it already! Chad! Inoue!" Ichigo attempted to reason with his friends one more time.

"That's my line… give it a rest already, Ichigo…!" Chad shot back.

"Why can't you understand!? I don't want to fight you!" Ichigo tried one last time, but was answered with the disappointed look he dreaded so much.

It was all wrong. He shouldn't be angry at his friends. He knew full well who was responsible for all this mess, and he was the one Ichigo should direct his anger to.

"TSUKISHIMA! Stop hiding behind my friends! COME OUT AND FIGHT!"

His demand was met with supreme haste. Tsukishima suddenly appeared behind Ichigo and thrust his sword forward.

All was silent as the sound of metal pierced the flesh. But Ichigo didn't feel anything puncture his skin.

He turned around, and the sight was not a pleasing one.

"GINJOU!" Ichigo screamed out.

He took the attack for him. The one he didn't trust. The one he didn't acknowledge as his friend. Ginjou Kuugo was impaled by Tsukishima's sword, and he couldn't do anything.

"Tsukishima's blade was aimed at Ichigo but… Ginjou took the hit for him…" Nozomi said to herself as she witnessed Tsukishima pull his sword out of Ginjou's limp body with utter satisfaction. She didn't consider him as a comrade, but why was she so angry? She never knew. _"What will happen now…?"_

Ginjou fell down from the hole in the floor all the way down to the lower level of the mansion. Ichigo instantly went to his aid, completely ignoring Tsukishima watching him, seemingly content.

 _"Ginjou… will he become Tsukishima's ally like everyone else?"_

Ichigo's thoughts were blurred, calling for Ginjou to respond. After several incessant calls, he finally answered. Although not in a very reassuring manner.

"Shut up…" Ichigo found himself unable to respond. "Don't get distracted by me, Kurosaki…! Didn't I tell you that if he stabbed you… then it's already over…!?"

His statement was accurate. Ichigo turned around to block Tsukishima's sneak attack and subsequently pushes him away. He turned around to face Ginjou again.

"Are you all right…!? Ginjou…"

"No idea." Ginjou said weakly as he attempted to stand. "I do know… that I still perceive him as my enemy. And I see you as my friend."

"I see… that's great!" Ichigo said in glee.

"I don't understand why his power didn't work. I don't know if it's because it takes longer for some people… or if he purposely didn't activate it for some reason." Ginjou tried to figure out the reason as he finally managed to sit straight. "Either way… if you don't defeat him now… then you won't be able to after his power starts working!"

"He's right, Ichigo…" Nozomi said after coming over to Ichigo and Ginjou's side.

"Yeah!" Ichigo shouts out in approval.

They prepared to re-start their attack, but stopped themselves after sensing a _very_ familiar Reiatsu. Did it belong to a friend? An enemy? Or a friend turned enemy?

"Kurosaki… Kujou…"

Ichigo and Nozomi turned around to see none other than Ishida looking at them. But he wasn't looking at them the way an ally who came to help would.

 _"Whose side are you on?"_ Was what instantly entered Ichigo and Nozomi's thoughts.

Ishida was cut by Tsukishima. Who healed his wounds? Inoue? But she was cut by Tsukishima too. Was she still not perceiving him as a friend when he healed Ishida? And if she did think of him as a friend, did she heal Ishida so that he could fight for Tsukishima as well?

Numerous questions flooded Ichigo and Nozomi's mind. Whose side was Ishida on? Their questions seemed to have been answered when Ishida activated his **Ginrei Kojaku**.

"I knew it… so you're on his side too…" Ichigo said with a tone of mixed anger, sadness and surprise.

"You two… come here." Ishida ordered, but was only met with hostile looks. "I already checked downstairs. Don't worry, I'm on your side.

"As if!" Ichigo refused to budge, and so did Nozomi.

"What are you doing!? Hurry up!" Ishida was starting to get irritated at this point.

"Ishida!" Ichigo said as he entered his fighting stance.

Ishida snapped. How stupid can one person be?

"Kurosaki! Don't you get it!? The one who cut me is that guy beside you!"

The words echoed in Ichigo's mind.

He didn't want to process them.

He didn't want to accept them.

"Ichigo!" Nozomi's voice was what brought Ichigo back to reality.

But it was too late. Ginjou was already behind him, and in one glance, everyone can tell that he's no longer the person who helped them.

Ishida fired a volley of arrows but was effortlessly blocked by Ginjou. The man in question vanished from their sights, only to reappear a second later behind Ichigo.

"Kurosaki!"

It all happened in an instant. Ginjou swung his sword down. Blood splattered in all directions. Absolute silence. Pure terror was the only thing visible in Nozomi and Ishida's face as Ginjou started to laugh hysterically.

"ICHIGO!"

* * *

Chapter 26 here. Sorry for the late update today, I was kinda busy. Anyway, hope you like the chapter and thanks for reading my story! I'll be back soon. Mata ashita ne!


	28. Chapter 27

Watashi wa Bleach o shoyuu shite imasen

* * *

Chapter 27: The Substitute Shinigami

* * *

"Kurosaki!" Ishida immediately started to move towards Ichigo.

Unfortunately for him, Tsukishima didn't allow such an action. One second later and Tsukishima's blade is beside Ishida's throat. One wrong decision and it's over.

"… Ginjou… why…?" Ichigo fell down, but Nozomi was able to go to him fast enough to stop his fall.

"So… Tsukishima's power worked after all…" She said, glaring intensely at their former comrade. Or was he even?

Ginjou stopped laughing after a while and walked slowly towards the defenseless pair. "Yeah, it indeed worked." He reached down to his pocket and brought out a Substitute Shinigami badge. "But don't get me wrong. I didn't become your enemy because Tsukishima cut me."

"What are you…?" Ichigo attempted to talk to him, but was paid no attention.

Ginjou's badge then merged with his sword, forming a skull ornament on the guard. He pointed the sword towards Ichigo and Nozomi, grinning like a homicidal maniac.

"Let me tell you something good: I made Tsukishima cut me twice, first, to make me your comrade, and then return me to my original self. And now, I'm taking your Fullbring."

It was the truth. They've been playing by Ginjou's hand all along. He enjoyed watching their horrific faces as he raised his sword.

"Kurosaki! Kujou!" Ishida yelled out and dashed away, disregarding Tsukishima's blade.

And it was a fatal mistake.

Tsukishima cut him with no hesitation at all. Ishida unceremoniously fell down to the ground, half-conscious. He cursed internally as he watched Ginjou swing his sword down.

Nozomi instinctively stood up and blocked Ginjou's attack. Highly amused, Ginjou pushed the sword's weight down on her, bringing her to her knees.

"Ginjou, stop!" Ichigo pleaded with him, but was quickly kicked away.

"Shut the hell up. I'll deal with you later after I have some fun."

Ginjou then proceeded to kick Nozomi in the opposite direction before she had a chance to sap his Reiatsu.

Nozomi stood up again with great difficulty, coughing up some blood in the process. Nevertheless, she charged forward again and made several sword slashes at Ginjou, albeit severely slowed down. Ginjou caught her sword's blade barehanded after dodging for a while, leaving her horrified.

"Nozomi-san… or should I say, Mod-Soul… I wonder what would happen to Kurosaki over there if I kill you?" Ginjou mockingly asked, and began to laugh like a psychotic killer again.

"Ginjou! Please, I beg you!" Ichigo shouted out, but was ignored again.

Ginjou pulled Nozomi's sword, causing her to get dragged by it. He then kicked her directly in the stomach with his knee before punching her away. But despite the torture she received, she still attempted to get up. This only made Ginjou's grin widen however.

"Nozomi! Ginjou, stop! Please!" Ichigo pleaded once more, almost on the verge of tears of hopelessness. He couldn't stand up at all no matter how much he tried.

Despair. It was the only thing Ichigo felt as he watched Ginjou brutally beat Nozomi. Why couldn't he do anything? What was the point of regaining powers? Was it all for naught?

Nozomi finally collapsed on the floor after a few more seconds of torture, but she was still conscious. She could only look in pure anger mixed with despair as Ginjou slowly walked up to her and pointed his blade at her throat.

"Aw, boring. Down already. Well whatever." Ginjou said as he prepared his killing strike after making sure Ichigo was watching.

 _"Ichigo… I'm sorry… I guess we'll both break our promises…"_

Nozomi closed her eyes. It was the end for her. Or so she thought.

She opened her eyes to see Ginjou with his head down, sword in his side. She was of course, relieved to still be alive. But why the sudden change? She tilted her head to the direction Ichigo was in and sure enough, he was on his knees, with one hand on the ground and the other in a position that looked as if he threw something.

"Oh, you did NOT just throw a pebble at me!" Ginjou angrily shouted and started to walk towards him, tightly gripping his sword in pure fur _y._

 _"Even without my powers, if you ever get yourself in a pinch, I'll find a way to protect you. That's a promise!"_

Ichigo's words cycled through Nozomi's mind. He still held on to that year-old promise. A tear ran down through her face as she attempted to stand up and repay Ichigo the favor.

But her body didn't let her.

She couldn't move, couldn't speak and couldn't breathe as she helplessly watched the next scene.

"Well, a little change of plans won't hurt." Ginjou kicked Ichigo square on the chin, propelling his body upwards.

But that wasn't the end. Ginjou Impaled Ichigo's chest with his gigantic sword until the point passed through and reached the space behind his back.

 _"No…"_ Nozomi watched in pure terror.

Ishida managed to get up to his knees, and instantly saw the horrific scene. But something else came to mind. The memory of how Ginjou attacked him.

 _"This guy is one of Ichigo's comrades, huh? Sheesh, if only I got him with my Fullbring…" Tsukishima complained while looking at Ishida's body._

 _"What, no!" Ginjou refuted. This guy IS the key! Kurosaki's fate depends on whether he can notice the difference between this guy and the others! A sure victory is just too boring!"_

 _Tsukishima looked at him with great indifference._

 _"Come on! Hurry up and cut me. We'll become enemies who betrayed each other!" Ginjou enthusiastically ordered._

 _"Your mind's set on this, huh? Very well…"_

"And that's that." Ginjou said, his blade still piercing Ichigo's body.

"My **Book of the End** … with one strike, I can insert myself into a person's past no matter how I choose to. A second strike completely negates that." Tsukishima explained, walking towards Ginjou.

"I would be operating closest to you. And to prevent you from suspecting me as the enemy, we used that guy's ability to slip him into my past as the enemy." Ginjou explained to the still Ichigo in a very mocking manner.

"That's not true. We did that because you're a horrible actor." Tsukishima teased, sounding like he had been best buddies with Ginjou for years. And indeed, it was true, much to Ichigo's despair.

"Oh shut up! My acting right there was top notch!" Ginjou childishly defended.

"As soon as I stabbed you again, you started calling him Kurosaki once more." Tsukishima shot back, earning a "Screw you!" as a response.

Ginjou pulled out his sword from Ichigo's body. To everyone else's surprise, and Tsukishima's amusement, Ichigo's Fullbring turned liquid and was absorbed by Ginjou's sword. Ichigo's badge dropped to the floor.

"Oh ho! Here it comes!" Ginjou cheered _very_ enthusiastically.

 _"My Fullbring…!"_ Ichigo watched on like a helpless child as his Fullbring completely disappeared from his being. _"I wanted to regain my strength… But I couldn't. I struggled on for over a year… weak, helpless, useless."_ His line of vision shifted to where Ishida was, and then to Nozomi . _"But at long last, I thought I found a way. I could finally protect my family and friends with my own power. I could finally fulfill my promise to Nozomi."_

 _"Only…"_ Ichigo's body fell down, but he managed to support his weight with his arms.

Rain started to pour down heavily, washing off the blood that stained the floor.

Ishida and Nozomi watched on, also unable to anything with their battered bodies, as Ginjou prepared to leave and gestured for Tsukishima to follow him.

"Is he crying? I feel so horrible." Tsukishima openly mocked him.

"Let him cry. He's as useless as a rubber anvil now." Ginjou said without even batting an eye to Ichigo. "It's highly unlikely… that we'll see these losers again."

"Give it back…" A miserable and cracked voice demanded, piquing Ginjou's curiosity and making him turn his head around slightly. "Give it back, Ginjou! Give me my power back!"

"What? you're joking." Ginjou answered, losing his previous interest. "It's power that I gave back to you! And it belongs to me! I'm sparing your lives even though you're all useless now. In fact, you should be grateful."

Anger. Wrath. Fury. Rage. They might have the same concepts but Ichigo didn't care.

"Ginjou… GINJOU!" Ichigo shouted out, but was completely ignored. He attempted to scream again, and why not? It was probably the only thing he could do right now. Maybe Ginjou was just kidding around after all, that it's just some plot to defeat Tsukishima.

All he could do now was scream, and maybe, things will brighten up.

Well, at least that's what he thought.

His attempt to scream out his lungs was foiled when another blade pierced him, but this time, from the back. But there was no pain. In fact, he felt somewhat revitalized.

He turned around, and the first thing he saw was Kisuke and Isshin emerging from a cloaking device, and Ishida and Nozomi's surprised faces.

"Dad… Urahara-san… you too…? So that's how it is…?" Ichigo asked, completely emotionless. Everyone else turned on him anyway, so what's new?

Kisuke and Isshin were not amused.

"You idiot. We didn't stab you." Isshin berated his son. "Look closely. You should be able to see her now. Just who… is holding that sword."

Ichigo felt an extremely familiar Reiatsu upon hearing his father's words. He slowly turned around, and everything went black for a second. She was standing there, holding the sword that stabbed him. Well, with a slightly different hairstyle.

"Rukia!"

She briefly smiles at him, before Ichigo gets enveloped by a huge wave of Reiatsu which continued to expand until it exploded in a violent manner.

Tsukishima and Ginjou were forced to turn around to see what caused the explosion. And their eyes widened.

Ichigo stood there, glaring at them. The previous unrefined rage he had seemed to have vanished without a trace. Now, there was only calmness, but one that exuded great hostility and anger.

And he was in Shinigami attire.

He held **Zangetsu** with his right hand and rested the blunt edge on his shoulder. His trademark blue Reiatsu emitting from his spiritual body.

"Alright! Kon-sama is back in action!" Kon, now in Ichigo's human body immediately went to her best friend and helped her up. "Yo, Nozomi! You alright?"

"Yeah, thanks…" She answered.

"Kon, take her somewhere safe. I've got some business to attend to." Ichigo ordered, to which Kon instantly complied, complete with an obligatory salute.

"Ichigo… good luck." Nozomi smiled at him.

Ichigo replied with a thumbs-up before turning to Ginjou and Tsukishima again. He raised his Zanpakutou in the air before pointing it at them.

"That's… impossible…!" Ginjou said in pure disbelief. How in hell did he get his Shinigami powers back?

"Yo... Ginjou..." Ichigo challenged with great confidence.

He fired up his Reiatsu, causing it to erupt in different directions. He was going to get some answers, and no one can stop him now.

* * *

Kara here, with Chapter 27. Well, what do you think? Alright, I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but rest assured I will be back. I mean, what's the point of this story if I don't finish it? Anyway, thanks for reading and stay cool, guys. Ja mata ne.


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